Sirius In Love?
by nexiumchick
Summary: Wow, Sirius is no longer a brainless git. Go figure. In his seventh year he falls for a girl named Mia. Problem is, Sirius’ novelty has worn off for most girls. (See full summary inside.) New rating pg 13 for sensual acts-- woo!
1. Prologo

A/N: I had this story posted once before and I thought it was pretty good, but now I see that it needed a LOT of work. So I've reworked it and put myself under a new penname and hopefully you will enjoy reading this story as much as I liked writing it!

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Disclaimer: Don't own it... wish I did, but sadly no...  
  
Summary: Wow, Sirius is no longer a brainless git. Go figure. In his seventh year he falls for a girl named Mia. Problem is, Sirius' novelty has worn off for most girls and they have come to realise that he's really just an insecure boy. Mia can't trust him, so Sirius sets out on a journey to get her! (A/N: Sounds very much like a soap opera, no?) But can a worn down, emotionally distraught boy with an evil family constantly on his back win back the heart of his woman?

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Sirius was in love.  
  
Deep love. It was kind of scary. We never thought he'd get serious about girls. I mean, since Sirius has been about thirteen he let his hormones rage and bedded down just about every girl possible. At least half of Hogwarts. We figured he'd go his whole life using girls as pawns.  
  
Who knew that it could change?  
  
Well, it has.  
  
But this year girls have gotten wiser and most of them no longer fling themselves at him. Sure, they all like him still, but only a select few will actually hit on him. I mean they all know that all he'll do is discard them after he gets bored with them.  
  
But it's changed this year. After the fateful incident at lunch when he asked out Mia he hasn't been with anyone. I feel bad really. I mean, I always told him to calm down with girls, but it's the middle of out seventh and last year at Hogwarts and he's looking like he could just die at any moment.  
  
This is definitely not how I planned our last year to be. We were supposed to have fun and have Snape turn into something disgusting and slimy every day. Never in the plan was the part about Sirius falling and love.  
  
How do we know its deep real love? She broke his heart. Yes, shattered it into a million pieces during a lunch period.  
  
So she rejected him, you say. Who cares? He did apparently. Because he did; Sirius was in love. We know something was wrong because all he did was mope around, going to classes, sitting in dark corners, and generally being the kind of person that he makes fun of.  
  
One day during double potions with Slytherins when he didn't pull a prank on Snape when he had a perfect opportunity, we knew he was in...  
  
Deep.  
  
I guess you want to know who I am. I'm James Potter, his best friend (and extremely handsome if I so say so myself! I never thought it would happen that a girl had gotten the best of Sirius Black the Magnificent. Boy was I wrong...  
  
I hate seeing my best friend in such a pathetic position, so I'm on a mission this year- to get her for him. He doesn't seem to notice how worried he's gotten everyone with this moping around. Even our teachers are worried about him.  
  
And who wouldn't be? He's normally very thin, but lately, he's been looking, well, emaciated. His face is drawn and it's really pale. He's even taken to hanging out in the library during meals. I mean, that's just wrong! This whole situation is because she said no.  
  
Can't she see what she's doing to him?  
  
Okay, in all fairness, she does see it, and she feels horrible about it. I mean, Mia is one of the nicest people I know and I know she's feeling very guilty about the situation. But she's not just some mindless girl who only sees him for his looks. But she does like him; don't get me wrong. She just has a problem with his commitment complex. In fact, she thinks he's great.  
  
But more on that later.  
  
She's not popular, not too terribly, but she hangs out with us. By us I mean the Marauders (and lately Lily. Personally, I don't see why Lily wants to be near us. I mean, she hates me, finds Sirius juvenile, and Remus is just her little study buddy. I guess she's just around for Mia's sake, not that I'm complaining or anything. Oh crap... Don't mention that to anyone.)  
  
Mia's a real nice girl, just a bit shy. I can see why Sirius fell for her. Well, let me rephrase that. I can see why any other guy would fall for her.  
  
You see that's what I don't understand. Sirius only goes for the knockout girls who are completely brainless. Which is why I don't understand why he fell for her. Not that I'm saying she's ugly, far from it, she's just pretty, not gorgeous. I'm sounding dumb, aren't I?  
  
Well, this girl's special. She's just different. She's pretty, and bloody brilliant. She and Lily fight each other for top grades, though usually Lily will come out on top. She's really smart and cool, and lots of guys I know really fancy her, but she doesn't seem to notice them. She's not one of those girls that let that kind of thing go to her head. Unfortunately, neither is Lily.  
  
Yeah, forget that too.  
  
Ok, I've tried to explain the people and failed pretty dismally, but let me try to explain the situation. Perhaps I can do a better job of that.  
  
It all started when she came over to sit with our little group at the end of sixth year. It was a special day, because it was the last day of school and it had been free dress. I don't remember exactly what she wore (talk to Sirius, I'm sure he'd remember) but I remember that it was hot! All of her other friends (namely girls) had gone to do whatever girls do and she had decided to come talk to us. I remember our first real conversation. Her first words to us were,  
  
"Hi! Nice to meet you guys. You may already know me, but I'm Mia Wakefield. I'm pretty sure Snape just hit on me. I think you guys need to hex him for me. Man, I'm starved!"  
  
And that was the day Sirius fell in love.  
  
You say, 'why can't it just end there?' Well, it's not that simple. First, I had to suffer through the whole summer of Sirius dreaming about her (I should have never told him he could come to my house). Then, when we got on the train, we all sat through two hours of flirting. I guess I should have warned Sirius at that point.  
  
She's one of those easygoing girls that likes just about everyone (except for Snape, but he's an ugly git, so who can blame her?) and especially loves guys. She's a real tease, but in a good way. Totally self-confidant and flirts with anyone in her path. I guess Sirius took it to heart and saw that as an invitation.  
  
All she said was a simple no, and you could just hear his heart shatter. He got this look on his face. Real pain. It scared me; it scared us all.  
  
Sirius was the fun one who was never sad.  
  
What had happened here?  
  
The news spread like wild fire: a girl had rejected Sirius Black! That was unheard of. Of course, as I have said, girls were leery of him now and they didn't usually initiate anything, but if Sirius Black asked you out you never said no. It was simply not done.  
  
What, she didn't like him?  
  
No. Lily confided in me and Remus (well, mostly Remus. I just "happened" to overhear their conversation.), that in the first year Mia had told her that Sirius was unlike anyone she had ever known and that she would just love to go out with him.  
  
Then why didn't she go out with him?  
  
It's simple. She was a real girl, not one of those dumb ones that Sirius usually hooks up with. She saw him as he really was: an insecure little boy with a need to feel wanted. So when he needed to feel good about himself, he would dump a girl and get a new one. Just to prove he still was in control.  
  
Not that I blame him. He's had a hard life.  
  
Mother a pureblood freak, father an abusive alcoholic. He's stayed with me at my manor over the summer ever since first year. Last summer he was officially disowned from his parents and he moved in full time until he can support himself. My mother would never let him go home, and he loves her for that.  
  
It's very sad.  
  
Sometimes, when he thinks I'm asleep, he cries. Yes, the wondrous Sirius Black cries. And I get angry. At his stupid father for not seeing what a great son he has and his mother for forcing him away from the people he loves, just because they're not "pure".  
  
And now he's reduced to nothing, the mere shell of a wonderful person. I hope for both their sakes that Mia will realise how much he really loves her.

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Mia, Mia, Mia.  
  
That's all I can think about. I see her walking down the halls and it breaks my heart. I suppose I did it to myself, making myself into something great. Something that small and insignificant shouldn't have toppled the great Sirius Empire.  
  
I hate this. No, I don't.  
  
I'm so confused. I've been so since she said no. Why?  
  
No other girl can resist me. The one I love doesn't want me. How pathetic of me to be so smitten with the one who rejects me.  
  
How acutely ironic.  
  
I love this feeling, but I hate it. It makes no sense, love. I didn't get it when I was a kid; I guess that's why. That sounds so stupid, like some stupid therapist's way of describing how screwed I am.  
  
I just don't know how to react.  
  
But at least I'm living up to my namesake. Maybe my parents will be happy now, seeing their oldest son, the rebel, finally crushed down by something. Sure, it's not as great as if they had broken my spirit themselves, but it's still a major victory. The only way to make them any happier is to A) kill myself, or B) kill a bunch of innocent Muggle lovers or "mudbloods".  
  
I'm depressed and pathetic, I know. I look like crap and I haven't eaten for... A long time.  
  
I know that people like Snape and Malfoy laugh to see my downfall. Finally, I'm sure they crow, the black sheep (or is it white) of the Black family has been crushed. Finally there has been some justice in the world. Finally, finally...  
  
The Wondrous Sirius is nothing more than a shell. I feel emotionless.  
  
Maybe I am.  
  
I see James, Lily, and Remus looking at me, worried. I am blessed to have these good friends who care. If I had been sorted into Slytherin I surely wouldn't be getting the compassion I have here in Gryffindor. Of course, I probably would be heartless anyway, like the rest of the Slytherins.  
  
My friends are compassionate, yet they don't understand.  
  
Perhaps I am being too overdramatic. I mean, James has been repeatedly denied by Lily. But he wasn't me. He can cope with rejection. I can't.  
  
I can't sleep because I think of her. I was given a potion, but still I tossed and turned with horrible dreams. Mostly I dream about her rejection, but sometimes I see her with another guy. Like Snape.  
  
Oh, the bitter irony of it all.  
  
That one hurts me the most because she doesn't know that I'm really the perfect guy for her and I'd do anything just to get her love. Or even one date, as a start.  
  
But I don't blame her. I can't. Why would any girl with half a brain go out with me? I'm just some shallow guy with a pretty face and a screwed up life.  
  
I want to show her how much it hurts. I just wish there was some way that I could make her understand.  
  
I used to be loud. Hell, I used to laugh. But now I have nothing to talk about.  
  
You know the first thing I thought when she said no? I could throw myself off the Astronomy tower. It would be a quicker death than this. I suppose I'm just pathetic that way. I just have to get over her.  
  
Somehow, I seriously doubt that I can get over her.  
  
Let's face it. I screwed myself over and the one girl I really like hates me.  
  
Isn't life just wonderful?  
  
I'm so screwed up, but deeper down I'm true. I want you. I need you. Please understand that a person can change... And I have.  
  
Can't you see beneath me, Mia?  
  
---  
  
A/N: Aww, sniff poor Sirius! Don't we all just love him? Well, this was basically just a little prologue thingy to get you caught up onto what's going on. The next chapter will be more story-like with dialogue and all that jazz. So please review if you like this. I'm expecting five reviews before I post this up! 


	2. What's in the corner?

A/N: 'Ello again! Well, here's chapter two! glares even though I only got THREE reviews (glares at all the people who didn't review), I'm gonna still post this one because I'm cool. Yeah, you damn well better be grateful! Lol. So... I'm trying to extend my chapters... Plump them up a bit. Well, this one's rather dramatic and Sirius is really down in the dumps and seems sort of out of character, which I profusely apologise for, but he should be back to his old self fairly soon. Oh... and onto the reviewers...  
  
NOCTURNAL007: Thanks for the okay! Glad you like it!  
  
Amber Spirit: Thank you! (Even though I am far from perfect!)  
  
EVILMWHAA HA HA HA HAA: Thanks! Yeah, I really love Sirius too. I just keep hoping that maybe he isn't dead... sniffle  
  
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Disclaimer: Don't own it... wish I did, but sadly no...  
  
Summary: Wow, Sirius is no longer a brainless git. Go figure. In his seventh year he falls for a girl named Mia. Problem is, Sirius' novelty has worn off for most girls and they have come to realise that he's really just an insecure boy. Mia can't trust him, so Sirius sets out on a journey to get her! (A/N: Sounds very much like a soap opera, no?) But can a worn down, emotionally distraught boy with an evil family constantly on his back win back the heart of his woman?  
  
---  
  
"Sirius?"  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. Why did everyone insist on pestering him?  
  
"Sirius?" The voice continued.  
  
"Go away," he said crossly, his own voice startling him after almost a day of not using it. His normally bouncy voice was monotonous and hoarse.   
  
What has this girl done to me?  
  
"We're worried about you."  
  
"James, I'm not in the-"  
  
"But-"  
  
"GO AWAY!" Sirius slammed himself back onto his bed, fuming.  
  
The door clicked shut and he could hear the receding footsteps of his best friend.  
  
He sighed and rolled out of bed.  
  
Damn James and his ability to make me feel guilty, he thought irritably as he walked over to his wardrobe. He sucked in a breath of shock as his feet came in contact with the cold wooden floor.  
  
He grabbed a towel from the top shelf of his armoire and headed into the bathroom. If he hurried, he could still make it to breakfast.  
  
He stepped into the shower stall and turned the knob, letting the warm water rush over him like a warm breeze. He let his mind drift into daydreams as his muscles relaxed and he became calm...  
  
Five minutes later found Sirius hurrying out of the portrait hole shaking his hair dry (much like a dog) as he hurried down to the Great Hall. He glowered at a pair of giggling first years standing outside of the portrait hole and they cowered in fear.  
  
It had been two weeks since she had rejected him and he decided that starving himself was not going to get her to go out with him. But for once Sirius didn't have a plan to get the girl. This one was different.  
  
He had generally been skipping dinner and breakfast though, but unfortunately James had forced him to come out of his hiding spot. As much as he hated him for it, James was right.  
  
He hurried through the doorway of the hall and quickly strode to where his group of friends were sitting, ignoring the whispers and pitying looks of many females. One exceptionally emotionally young woman had tears brimming in her eyes. They became a torrent of tears when Sirius snorted in contempt. He supposed he should be sorry, but these stupid people were just intruding on his personal life. The story had spread around Hogwarts quickly and avid gossipers still found the whole event quite fascinating.  
  
James looked up in surprise, his brown eyes behind his wire glasses widening slightly. "How mice of you to join us mate. Eggs?"  
  
Sirius shook his head, purposefully allowing his long black hair to fall over his right eye in order to ignore the girl staring at him from across the table two seats down. The idea of looking into her eyes would be just too painful to risk.  
  
Her light brown hair was braided into pigtails that framed her delicate face. Her dark eyes seemed almost black and Sirius could feel them burn into him. Her hands drummed on the table, a nervous, but endearing, habit that Sirius had discovered from watching her on several occasions.  
  
"It's alright," whispered the pale boy with brown hair next to Sirius.  
  
"Thanks Remus, but it doesn't help." He and the pudgy boy on the other side of him smiled sympathetically at Sirius, which he pointedly ignored.  
  
He took a piece of toast and began to nibble on it half heartedly, all the while trying not to think about the beautiful girl not too far away from him. She, at the time, was looking at him fiercely, as if yearning for him and hating him at the same time.  
  
"Calm down Mia," James said under his breath. "That look is so evil it just might kill him, and I don't want my best friend dead." Mia muttered something under her breath. James leaned closer to Mia and whispered, "I doubt that you'd want him dead either, for certain purposes."  
  
Mia's face blushed crimson.  
  
Meanwhile, on his left, Lily laid her hand on his thigh and squeezed it affectionately. "I'm glad to see you down here. And I'm almost sad to say that I miss your huge appetite as well."  
  
Sirius smiled weakly, but before he could make his half hearted reply a familiar swoosh could be heard all around the dining hall.  
  
Owls.  
  
Sirius jumped in surprise when an owl landed on his empty plat. For a moment a look of curiosity and wonder wreathed his face, but it was quickly replaced by one of loathing.  
  
"Jeremy," he said darkly, referring to his parent's owl. "And with a howler no less."  
  
Resignedly, he pulled the crimson letter from the bird's talons. With an almost bored look on his face, he opened it. However composed he was on the surface, his heart was racing and his insides contorted with anger. He thought that he might have finally been free from his parents once he ran away, but that was obviously only wishful thinking on his part.  
  
Everyone clapped their hands over their ears as the dining hall filled with the screeching of Sirius' mother,  
  
"YOU IDIOT! YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE JUST GOTTEN NEWS OF YOUR LATEST SCANDAL! GETTING DENIED BY A MUDBLOOD? FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE SHAMED THE FAMILY EVEN MORE GREATLY BY FALLING IN LOVE WITH THAT HALF BREED IN THE FIRST PLACE!"  
  
Mia flushed a deep scarlet at this and buried her face in her hands. Sirius' face showed no emotion, but Lily saw the hurt in his eyes and took his hand. James and Remus seemed too stunned to react.  
  
"AND TO GET DENIED BY HER? THAT'S PATHETIC! AT LEAST YOU COULD HAVE THE SKILL TO GET THE GIRL. I MEAN, YOU'VE SLEPT WITH NEARLY EVERY GIRL IN THE SCHOOL, WHY NOT HER?"  
  
Mia lifted her hands from her face and looked at Sirius coldly. He accidentally looked over at her, and the hate in her eyes nearly broke his heart. He quickly buried his head in Lily's robes.  
  
Over his back, Lily threw a scathing look at Mia while mouthing, 'Now you've gone and done it.'  
  
Mia looked coldly back at her. So what if she hurt his feelings (not that he had any)? He was just some womanizer who only wanted her for her body, anyway...  
  
Then why did she feel so guilty?  
  
"AND TO THINK THAT WE WERE HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT DISOWNING YOU! I'M GLAD WE DID, AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON! WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT YEARS AGO!"  
  
Sirius' grip on Lily's hand became viselike and her eyes began to water, but not because of his grip. Remus was patting Sirius on the shoulder, pleading him not to do anything stupid. Mia, by this time, was looking up in shock and pity at Sirius.  
  
"CONSIDER THIS YOUR FINAL WORD FROM US AND YOUR FINAL DISGRACE! AT LEAST WE STILL HAVE YOUR BROTHER TO SUPPORT US!"  
  
Over at the Slytherin table, Regulus grinned stupidly, as if he had won the lottery. Though that was understandable, since praise from their parents did not come to them very often.  
  
"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY! I HOPE I NEVER SEE OR HEAR OF YOU AGAIN YOU POOR EXCUSE FOR A BLACK!"  
  
The hall was silent for a few moments, waiting to see what Sirius' reaction would be. He seemed not to hear, the only giveaway was the hand under the table. It had gone limp and was shaking as Lily soothingly stroked it.  
  
Mia looked at Sirius with a stricken face. "I- I'm so sorry."  
  
That seemed to break Sirius and his sadness quickly evolved into anger. "I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY!" He shouted and stormed out of the dining hall.  
  
After a few moments the talking began again, but it was very subdued.  
  
Lily got up. "I'll go after him." James looked as if he would argue, but nodded. Lily did always seem to have a calming effect on Sirius.  
  
Meanwhile, Mia was crying quietly, her face buried in her hands. James, being the closest to her, reached over and pulled her into a hug. "It's alright. Shh, it's okay..."  
  
She looked up at him. "No it's not. He obviously hates me," she sobbed and burst into a fresh wave of tears.  
  
Remus looked at James in astonishment. "No he doesn't. Far from it."  
  
"He's just a little worked up at the moment," James said wryly, "and being a big strong man, he just couldn't take any pity."  
  
"I'm sorry I'm so stupid." Mia wiped off her tears with the back of her sleeve.  
  
"It's not your fault," James said softly. "He doesn't tell a lot of people about... his life before Hogwarts."  
  
Mia nodded sadly. "I guess he would have told me if I had gone out with him. Guess it's a bit late for that."  
  
"Not quite," said Remus with a quick grin towards James.  
  
"Far from it," counter James, matching Remus' smile.  
  
---  
  
"Sirius, don't be stupid. Just let me in. I know you're in there," Lily begged through the closed door. She pressed her ear against it, but heard nothing. "Please?"  
  
She heard a soft muttering and suddenly the door opened. The room was dark and she stood for a moment after closing the doors, allowing her eyes to adjust.  
  
The room had no windows and was lit only by a single candle. The room was completely bare and Sirius was huddled in a little ball in the far corner.  
  
Lily walked over to him and put her arms around him. "It's okay. You're parents are horrible, but you're gone from them now. You're living with James and once you graduate you'll never need them again."  
  
She waited for a reply, but there was none. "You can start a new life without them. I'm like your sister... We're family now."  
  
Sirius looked up at her and let out a soft sigh. To her surprise his eyes were red rimmed from crying.  
  
"Oh, my darling," she cried pulling his face so it rest on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry."  
  
Sirius let out a moan. "I know that I'm going to start a new life," he said softly, "but I'll never be rid of them. Even though they disowned me, they've still been contacting me."  
  
Lily pulled away from him. "How?"  
  
Sirius sat up straight and stretched out his legs before he continued. "About once every week they send me a letter inviting me to come to some Death Eater meeting or another. Or my brother Regulus comes and talks to me. But it's all very formal. It's as if I'm just some distant friend of theirs that's hated, but deemed necessary."  
  
Lily looked shocked. "So your parents are-"  
  
"Death Eaters? Yes." He looked at Lily's face again and let out a small sigh. His face became pained as he drew up his sleeve. "It's all clear."  
  
Lily sighed in relief. "I trusted you, I just..."  
  
She stopped at the look on his face. "I'm sorry. But haven't you told anyone about the notes?"  
  
Sirius looked irked. "Of course! But they all have untraceable charms on them so they never have firm proof that they sent it. And lord knows Dumbledore has chased after them, but they always manage to slip away."  
  
He slammed his fist down on the stone floor and cursed quietly.  
  
"Look, I know you don't want my pity or anyone else's," Lily intoned softly, "But I am really sorry of what you had to go through. But I'm really glad you made the right choice and that you're here... with us."  
  
Sirius smiled softly. "Yeah, me too."  
  
Lily hugged him again. "So why couldn't you take that from Mia?" She knew she was taking a gamble, and she was just hoping that Sirius wouldn't blow up on her.  
  
"I don't know," he admitted. "I just kind of snapped. Because she rejected me before, of course. But it just seemed that if I asked her out now, she would say yes just because she felt bad for me. And I couldn't stand that."  
  
"But what if she said yes for another reason?"  
  
"Why would she?" Sirius' face looked defiant. "Nothing else has changed."  
  
"Except you," Lily said quietly. So quietly, in fact, that Sirius was not sure that it had really been Lily saying it, or a voice in his head.  
  
"Want to go back to the common room?"  
  
Sirius took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess I'm ready."  
  
Lily smiled. "Good, because James and Remus looked as if they might have heart attacks, they were so worried about you."  
  
Sirius smiled again. "Thank you for being such good friends."  
  
"What are friends for?" Lily asked rhetorically, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
---  
  
"Sirius!" Cried James and Remus simultaneously as Sirius stepped through the portrait hole. From behind him, Lily gave the boys a warning look.  
  
James smile flickered slightly, but persisted nonetheless. "So... I'm glad Lily found you. She wouldn't let any of us after you. Just contempt for men, eh Lils?"  
  
Lily grinned and rolled her eyes. "Just for you, Jamsie." She smiled in triumph when he winced at the use of his hate pet name.  
  
"Ok, lovers-"  
  
"Remus!" Lily and James shouted at the same time.  
  
"Ok," Remus continued, not missing a beat, "I think that we should break this up and head up to bed."  
  
James eyes flickered over to the corner before he nervously made a reply. "U- uh yeah. Let's be doing that now."  
  
Lily looked at both of them oddly, but said nothing. Instead, she peered over towards the corner. He mouth dropped open in surprise and she let out a soft hiss of air.  
  
"What was that, Lily darling?" Sirius asked tiredly, not really paying attention to any of the goings-on.  
  
"Er, nothing," she stammered.  
  
He looked at her oddly. "Why are you all acting so strange?" He demanded.  
  
"No reason."  
  
"No reason at all." James' voice came out slightly higher than usual and he adjusted his glasses nervously.  
  
"James?" Sirius' voice became sharper. "I know that nervous habit of yours when you fidget with your glasses. Now what's up?"  
  
James gulped. "Er. Well, there." He pointed toward the corner.  
  
Sirius looked down his finger and scowled.  
  
"I'm going to bed now."  
  
---  
  
A/N: What did Sirius see in the corner that made him scowl? Find out next time... But you gotta review first! I'm expecting 10 reviews before the next chapter goes up!!!  
  
Oh, and just to clear things up, I know Lily and Sirius seem kind of close, but they're just friends. There will be an eventual Lily James pairing, but that won't really be the focus, you know? Get it? Got it? Good. 


	3. A Fight Among Friends

A/N: OOOOOH! This is going to be an exciting chapter! Well, I think it is and all, so it's all good. There's a fight. And that's all I'm gonna say. Except it took me a long time to write this because I'm pretty sure I sprained my thumb. Ow. You should give me lots of pity... Like in a review maybe!!! (Aren't I so subtle?)  
  
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Disclaimer: Don't own it... wish I did, but sadly no...  
  
Summary: Wow, Sirius is no longer a brainless git. Go figure. In his seventh year he falls for a girl named Mia. Problem is, Sirius' novelty has worn off for most girls and they have come to realise that he's really just an insecure boy. Mia can't trust him, so Sirius sets out on a journey to get her! (A/N: Sounds very much like a soap opera, no?) But can a worn down, emotionally distraught boy with an evil family constantly on his back win back the heart of his woman?  
  
---  
  
"Sirius. Stop," Ordered Lily. The command in her voice was so great he actually did stop. "You can't just keep running away. You've got to face it and get it over with," she said more gently.  
  
He slowly rotated around on his heel. "What? You say that sounding all high and mighty... Why don't you follow your own damn advice? (A/N: you'll understand later in this chapter what he's talking about.)" He growled as Lily flushed pink. "I'm not walking away from my problems. It's just I'm pretty sure I don't need to stand around here all night watching t- that."  
  
Sirius tried to ignore the rising heat in his cheeks. Hopefully the dimly lit room concealed it. But what was with him? Sirius Black did not blush. Especially when it came to girl situations. Unless it involved their "time of the month". That was just weird. But he supposed he should have known by now that he got all goofy and weird when he was around Mia.  
  
Well, more than usual.  
  
James looked as if he wanted nothing better than to run away instead of being caught between his friend and the love of his life. He looked to Lily for support, but she only smiled sweetly, which didn't calm James down any. "Um, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. If you just go talk to-"  
  
"Look, the last thing I want to do is to talk to her," snarled Sirius as he sent death glares toward his best friend. He also glared at Remus for good measure. Even though Remus was the quiet one, he often was sensible too.  
  
Sirius didn't want him doing anything sensible tonight about this situation.  
  
"Sirius, you need to calm down. I mean, she doesn't even look all that happy," Lily said calmly, once again the voice of reason.  
  
"Yeah. Look, if you're too chicken, I'll go ask." Remus didn't even bother listening to the indignant stutters of his handsome friend as he walked over to the corner. "Hey Mia," he said conversationally, "everything okay over here."  
  
"Sod off, Lupin." Amos Diggory was currently sitting in the corner with Mia getting help with his potions. Well, he HAD been getting help with his potions. Now one of his large arms was encircled around Mia's thin waist. His other hand was casually massaging her leg. Every once and a while Mia would squirm around, but Amos was too strong.  
  
"I think not," Remus said coolly, "And I was talking to Mia. Is everything okay?"  
  
Mia looked at him, her hazel eyes gleaming with barely concealed tears. "I'll be fine Remus," she said guardedly. "I was just helping him with his potions. Why don't you guys go upstairs while we finish."  
  
Remus looked at her, astounded. "Please tell me you're not enjoying this lugs company?"  
  
Amos jerked her tighter and Mia let out a soft moan of fear. Behind him, Remus could hear the anxious whisperings of his friends.  
  
"Let her go; she doesn't want to be here." Lupin fumbled around inside of his robes and felt the reassuring feel of the wood of his wand.  
  
"I'm fine," insisted Mia. She was definitely getting panicky, her breaths coming out quicker and more choked. She struggled to suppress her urge to scream as loud as possible and bite the hand that was massaging her leg.  
  
Was that supposed to feel good or something? Amos obviously didn't have much experience with female contact. Unlike Sirius...  
  
"Yeah, she's fine!" The smug look on Diggory's face almost made Sirius kill him outright.  
  
"You know, this is what muggles call sexual abuse, Amos." Sirius stepped forward as he spoke, never taking his eyes off of Mia as he came to stand next to Remus.  
  
Inexplicably, Mia felt calmer and safer after she looked into Sirius' eyes.  
  
"Shut up Black," Diggory said dangerously.  
  
"Bite me," snarled Remus with barely restrained hate in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, just because you can't get a girl doesn't mean you have to resort to force. They have prostitutes for that." As Sirius spoke, Amos' beefy face grew beet red and he looked as if he could kill Sirius right there.  
  
Suddenly, he smiled (quite calmly, in fact, which was very frightening in itself).  
  
Lily looked on in horror.  
  
She knew nothing good would come out of this. The only other time she had seen Amos uses that evil grin was back in third year when he told a girl off who liked him. They never saw her again.  
  
Amos' smile continued to grow until he could no longer contain himself. "Well, at least I'm close to her and getting something from her. She rejected you, you Slytherin loving, slimy scumbag of a Death Eater."  
  
Sirius threw himself at Diggory, not even seeming to notice the table between them, vaulting it easily. The long forgotten potions book was thrown off the table and slammed into the wall. A quill also pierced Sirius' hand, but he didn't notice. All he saw was the evil face of Amos in front of him.  
  
As soon as he was on the other side of the table, he quickly wrenched Mia away from the fat boy's grasp and pushed her tenderly out of the way. Then he threw himself onto Diggory, his fist making contact with his fat face before he could even react.  
  
"I AM NOT A DEATH EATER!" Screamed Sirius in a sort of primal rage. Everyone else just stood on the sidelines in shock watching helplessly as the two boys rolled around.  
  
Sirius managed to land a hard punch on the boy's stomach while Amos quickly retaliated with a square punch to the jaw. Sirius grunted in pain and let his guard down. Amos took that opportunity to punch Sirius in the eye. That seemed to have been the final straw however and Sirius went berserk.  
  
Suddenly, Sirius got the upper hand. He was straddling Amos with his hands around Diggory's throat, throttling him as if there's no tomorrow.  
  
"Sirius!" Lily cried. Her plea falls on deaf ears.  
  
Meanwhile, James had hurried over to Mia and had pulled her over to one of the overstuffed crimson couches where he sat her down before returning to watch the fight with a horrible fascination.  
  
Amos' hands were clawing the floor as he struggled to draw in a breath.  
  
Suddenly everyone seemed to understand that Sirius was not going to leave Amos with just a few bruises. Remus leapt forward and with almost superhuman strength dragged Sirius off of Amos.  
  
Sirius stood panting over the whimpering boy, his face contorted into something almost evil.  
  
"Sirius?" Lily pleaded, frightened by this side of Sirius that she had never seen.  
  
His face twitched as he heard her voice but he didn't turn around. Instead his eyes followed Amos as he hurried up to his common room to the threat of, "Don't say anything about this to anyone," from James.  
  
It barely registered in Sirius' ears as he reveled in the sight of the sniveling fat boy wipe away the blood that was running down his face.  
  
"Sirius?" She tried again. That time it reached him.  
  
He turned around dazedly, one of his beautiful eyes swollen shut. His handsome face was bruised and he looked like a little boy.  
  
He looked at the stunned group and murmured, "I- I'm not a death eater. I- I"  
  
He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he threw a glance at Mia and rushed out of the common room, ignoring the squawks of the Fat Lady.  
  
Mia was right on his heels, oblivious to the shouts of her fellow Gryffindors who were left to deal with the onslaught of awoken people coming from their dorms.  
  
---  
  
Mia raced down the halls trying to keep up with Sirius and trying to arrange all the thoughts in her head. Of course she was furious with him, but he had done it in her honour. But it was an unprovoked attack.  
  
And she doubted that it was because of her. He had been hexing everyone in sight for the last few weeks. She decided that Amos was just an outlet for all of his fury. Just because he hadn't been able to get her in bed didn't mean that he had to hex anyone that looked like they had a chance with her.  
  
Not that Amos had stood any chance anyway. He was loud and obnoxious; not at all a refined gentleman. And he certainly wasn't at all attractive, in body or mind. Most importantly he wasn't... Sirius.  
  
Suddenly she saw Sirius lurch through a doorway. He seemed unsteady on his feet as he stumbled down the steps, his broken body illuminated in the moonlight. She recognized it as the entrance to the gardens.  
  
She hurried outside, settling on being angry with Sirius. After all she had put him through he was still just some pompous jerk.  
  
"Sirius Black," she shouted. She was fully prepared to continue on a ranting fit, but then she caught sight of Sirius. He was doubled over on the ground, hair falling in front of his eyes ungracefully, clutching his stomach.  
  
"Are you?"  
  
Suddenly, he retched and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the dew laden grass. "Please... Go," he said weakly, but was quickly overcome by another heave.  
  
Instead of following his orders, Mia walked over to him. She knelt down carefully and drew the hair out of his face. She began stroking his sweaty forehead, but he retched again. She muttered nonsensical soothing words to him as she rubbed his back lightly.  
  
After a few more heaves, he seemed to be finished.  
  
"Better?" She asked quietly.  
  
He nodded, not seeming to trust himself to speak. Carefully, she laid him down on the cool marble walkway.  
  
'What made you do that? I mean, fight him like that?"  
  
"Not... death eater," he mumbled, not seeming to hear her question, "but just as bad. I'm... no better."  
  
Mia understood. "You are much better than your family. I- I just have never seen that side of you. It was frightening."  
  
Sirius' face darkened. "You don't know a lot about me."  
  
Mia looked pained. "I know."  
  
"I'm bad," moaned Sirius.  
  
"No you're not. Not at all!"  
  
"Yes. I hit him... very bad. You... hate?"  
  
"I could never hate you."  
  
Sirius opened his one good eye. "Good impression of it before."  
  
Mia looked at his forlorn expression with pity (and was that longing, Sirius thought to himself) but ordered herself to stop. She simply could not fall for Sirius Black.  
  
"I don't hate you. We just got off to a bad start... Could we be friends?"  
  
"Friends?" Sirius muttered sleepily.  
  
"Yes," she whispered, realising he was almost asleep. "And thank you for protecting me."  
  
Sirius smiled dreamily. "Love you," he mumbled. Mia blushed, figuring that he was already off in dream world. Sirius Black was incapable of actually loving anyone.  
  
Wasn't he?  
  
With those confusing thoughts, Mia laid down next to her new friend, enjoying the warm night air and looking up at the velvet sky dotted with stars.  
  
"You're my little dog star, Siri." Mia smiled as she gave the shivering Sirius a hug.  
  
---  
  
Many hours later James and Lily found the two curled up together.  
  
"Aww, it's so cute," cooed Lily.  
  
James smiled at her. "Thank god it's a weekend. We'd never be able to get then back upstairs for classes in the morning."  
  
"Do you smell vomit?" Lily asked.  
  
"Nope," said James, not really paying attention. But who could be with this angel in such close proximity? "Now why don't we join them?" He winced in preparation for the slap that was surely headed for him.  
  
Instead, Lily just smiled genially. "If she puts up with him, then I can put up with you."  
  
James grinned. "Good enough for me."  
  
---  
  
Sirius' eyes snapped open. He looked around wildly, trying to figure out where he was-- definitely not his dorm room. When he finally placed himself in the Gardens, he let out a sigh of confusion. How had he gotten here?  
  
All the while he had dimly noted the warm entity wrapped around him on his left, but he was too busy puzzling out why he was here.  
  
Suddenly in a flash of brilliance all of last night's events came rushing back to him. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, "Mia's going to kill me."  
  
"Sirius..." Sirius' head snapped to look down at the girl wrapped around him who was muttering in her sleep. It made him very dizzy, but he ignored that feeling, it being overridden by surprise.  
  
"Mia?" He said softly, almost afraid that it was a dream. But then he remembered them making up. And becoming... friends.  
  
Nothing more.  
  
But she looked so sweet. Her lips were slightly parted and her hair cascaded down over his shoulder as her head rested on his chest.  
  
The rest of her, he realised with a blush, was lying on top of him.  
  
Carefully he tried to move her off of him, but she moaned in protest and flailed her arms a bit. She laid them to rest a moment later, one on his abdomen, the other on a very... sensitive spot.  
  
He blushed even redder. Never had he been embarrassed to have a girl... down there. But this was Mia, and she was asleep. But he couldn't stop the feeling rising in him.  
  
Gently, almost as if he was frightened, Sirius impulsively leaned forward and kissed her. He sucked in his breath as he waited for a response. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.  
  
"Sirius Black! Did you just kiss me?" Her voice sounded fairly neutral and Sirius couldn't decide if he should run away or stay there and risk pain.  
  
He decided to take the diplomatic approach since her hand was, well, there. "Erm, sorry?"  
  
He didn't have to get any farther than that, because Mia placed her hand under his neck and leaned down to kiss him. No, not kissing, make that full frontal snogging.  
  
Before he knew what was happening her tongue was in his mouth. He responded hungrily, never having had a girl initiate a kiss in such a way.  
  
As quickly and suddenly as it started, she pulled away, a look of horror crossing her face.  
  
"What?" Sirius asked in concern staring deep into her eyes.  
  
"I knew all that you want to do is get me in bed," she said, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"B- But I swear it's not like that," he pleaded.  
  
Too late. She pushed her self off of him and stormed away from him.  
  
"You were the one who started it!" His shout finally woke Lily and James, who had been sleeping a few metres away and had not been noticed.  
  
"What?" Lily muttered sleepily.  
  
"Well... well..." Mia stuttered as her face flushed. She had started it. Really, she had no reason to blame Sirius. "Well damn you for making me fall for you!"  
  
Sirius looked at her in shock. "You liked me?"  
  
"Of course." Mia looked at him curiously. Hadn't he known? Wasn't that why he had asked her out? Wasn't she just another easy target?  
  
Sirius looked at her, his mouth hanging open. "I- I never knew."  
  
This time it was Mia's turn to look shocked. But the "sensible" part of her knew he must have been lying. "But that would mean... you liked me?"  
  
"Of course. I mean you're totally sexy-" He cursed himself as soon as that came out of his mouth.  
  
"I knew it!" Mia stormed out of the gardens and into the school.  
  
"Why can't I ever say it right?" He murmured to himself, obviously distraught.  
  
"Good move Padfoot," laughed James and quickly received a smack from Lily.  
  
"Shut up James," Sirius shouted. "I've heard you ramble on about Lily and about how much you love her and how much you'd do for her, but after seven years of infatuation I've never once seen you do anything but tease her and get her pissed off at you. I'd say you're much more of a failure than I am."  
  
James looked at Sirius in fury. "How dare you? You promised me that you wouldn't say anything to her!"  
  
"Oh, since it's not obvious at all," Sirius retaliated sarcastically, "I mean, the constant staring, the repeated pleas-"  
  
"Sirius, please!" James was halfway between begging and fury.  
  
"Eep," said Lily her face crimson as she stared at James.  
  
"And don't even get me started on you, little miss!" Sirius roared as Lily shook her head frantically. "With your little half ass attempts at hating him. Why can't you just bloody say you fancy him? He obviously likes you! Bloody hell!"  
  
James gestured rudely towards Sirius; with that he followed in Mia's footsteps and stormed from the garden with Lily close on his heels, crying furiously.  
  
Sirius sunk down on a nearby bench. "Sirius Black the Magnificent, once again left alone in the cold."  
  
---  
  
A/N: AWW! So review darn it! Lol. I'm just too nice and excited once I get something done to not post it. So review!!!!! 


	4. That one party

A/N: Thanks you all, very much for the positive reviews! I can feel the love! Oh, and I'll be acknowledging reviews next chapter. That is, if you review...  
  
It had been a week since what Sirius had dubbed as "the garden incident". Lily had forgiven him for going off, her sensible side knowing that all he had said was true. James was still ignoring him, and still had not asked Lily out.  
  
And Mia was completely ignoring him. He could see her go out of her way just to avoid him in the halls. In the past week his only contact with her had been eye contact during lunch. But he couldn't forget her kiss. And the fact that she had initiated it.  
  
Through his sadness, he grinned at the thought.  
  
"Find something funny about this potion Black?" Sirius turned around and came face to face with a sneering James.  
  
He sighed. "James, will you just stop? We've been like brothers ever since we met. This is stupid to end it over a girl."  
  
James said nothing.  
  
"Oh come on! You haven't spoken to me civilly for a whole week. I miss you! I mean, sure Moony is a good guy, but nowhere near as cool as you."  
  
"Hey!" Cried Remus indignantly, but not even bothering to look up from his work.  
  
James scowled as he replied. "Well, you did ruin all my chances to ever get a date with Lily."  
  
"Can't you get it through your thick skull," Sirius sighed, "that she actually likes you? She's just shy."  
  
James wore a shocked expression on his face. 'What?"  
  
"But behind the times, aren't you Prongs?" Remus turned around after finishing his last sentence with a flourish. "Of course she does you idiot."  
  
Sirius laughed. "That was the whole bit I was yelling at her about in the gardens. Suppose you were just a bit shocked that I told her your little 'secret'."  
  
James smiled, albeit reluctantly. "Fine, a truce."  
  
Sirius sighed in relief. "Good." His face fell.  
  
"What?" James and Remus said in unison as they looked at his stricken face with concern.  
  
"Now I just have to get Mia to forgive me." Sirius pulled a face.  
  
"Well, it happened once. Why not again?" Remus said logically.  
  
"Because I was puking my guts out all over the gardens. And then she broke it off because she kiss me," he said bitterly.  
  
"Women," said James as he shook his head. Neither of the other two boys could tell if that was a statement or an invitation for a rant so both of them faced the front of the room.  
  
Only a few minutes later, the bell rang and a mad rush of students hurled themselves out of the door. James, Remus, and Sirius however lagged behind in order to talk alone before lunch.  
  
"Now Padfoot, this is what you need to do," James was saying as they headed out the door.  
  
"Oh my god! I'm taking advice from James," moaned Sirius to no one in particular.  
  
"Are you sure that's wise?" Asked a bemused Remus.  
  
"Probably will kill any of the few chances I have left."  
  
"Why?" James looked highly affronted.  
  
Sirius shook his head. "One word: Lily."  
  
"Shut up mate. SO anyway, as I was saying, you've got to get the image of a womanizer out of her head."  
  
"But I haven't gone out with anyone since-" Sirius' voice broke as he spoke softly.  
  
"I know mate," said James sympathetically, "but I still think you have a chance with her. All you have to do is shower her with gifts and stuff like that. Girls love it."  
  
Sirius looked at him, his eyebrows arched in surprise. "You know, that actually is a sound idea."  
  
"For once," Remus added with a small grin.  
  
"Oh gee, thanks," said James with mock anger.  
  
Remus nodded. "Yeah, be her secret admirer for a while! She'd definitely like that."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Blue moon. I think that would be perfect," he said as he stepped into the common room.  
  
As soon as he caught sight of Mia sitting on one of the couches next to Lily, he snuck up to his dormitory and commenced phase one of his plan. Within five minutes he was downstairs with his friends, his hair windswept.  
  
"Hey guys," he said nonchalantly as he sat down at the only available place on the couches: next to Mia. He couldn't help but notice that she scooted farther away from him as he sat down.  
  
He sighed.  
  
"You okay, dear?" Lily peered into his eyes with concern.  
  
"I'm sure he's fine," snapped Mia. "Probably just sad that he got rid of one of his bimbos so quickly. It'll take him at least five minutes to find a new snog."  
  
James sucked in his breath. "God Mia, what's you're problem?"  
  
"You know very well what my problem is James," said Mia, turning her anger towards James, "you were there in the gardens."  
  
"Mia, that was not his fault," Lily said softly.  
  
"Oh fine, take his side." Mia threw herself back into the couch and crossed her arms.  
  
Sirius got up. "I can't take it. I just can't take it anymore. You know very well that I haven't dated anyone this year. Haven't dated or snogged anyone since last year and I think that you damn well know why!"  
  
Mia looked surprised. "Because of me, right?" She said bitingly. "Just saving yourself for the one girl you can't get. Want to make it an extra special experience?"  
  
"You know very well I would never do that to you," said Sirius softly with his back turned to the group.  
  
"Well what about all the other girls you've gotten into bed? What makes me so special?"  
  
"I've never... effing... had a girl in bed," he said slowly, his face red with embarrassment.  
  
'What?" Exclaimed Lily and Mia simultaneously.  
  
"I'm an effing virgin, okay?"  
  
"Yeah right," Mia mocked.  
  
"You know what? If you can't believe me for just once on something this important, I don't want you. Go out with Remus for all I care-"  
  
"Sirius!" Remus cried.  
  
"Shut up, Moony, I'm not done." Sirius waved his friend's plea away as if it were a fly. "I don't want anything to do with you! I just want you to know that I loved you and I never," he turned red, "I never wanted anyone in bed except for you."  
  
He turned around and stalked up the stairs rubbing his eyes brusquely.  
  
"Wow," said Lily softly.  
  
"Probably just lying," Mia scoffed, but in her heart, she knew it was true. She just couldn't like him. It just wasn't... right. It was a hard task just for her to be friends with him. (A/N: Vewy important in the next chapter.)  
  
"Why the hell do you have to be so hard on him?" James finally seemed to explode. "I don't see why he likes you in the first place, what with you hating him and calling him a liar all the time. But he obviously does like you and you're just too thick to see it! I mean he's had a hard life. I don't see why he wastes his time on a person that doesn't love him. You- you, AARGH!"  
  
He and Remus got up from the couches and went upstairs, only Remus throwing a pitying look toward Lily, while completely ignoring Mia.  
  
"I have been an enormous ass, haven't I?" Lily looked over towards Mia nodding and saw that tears had spilled over and down her cheeks.  
  
"Yes," she said, "but I was too with James. But Sirius sounded really... serious when he said that he was over you."  
  
"Thanks Lily, that's just what I wanted to hear."  
  
"Well I wouldn't be a friend if I wasn't honest. Your really have to do something, quick."  
  
Mia nodded. "I'm gonna go upstairs and write him a letter."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
Lily and Mia made their way up the stairs. From the inside of their room they hear soft bumpings and mutterings.  
  
Lily furrowed her brow. "I didn't see Alice coming upstairs."  
  
"It can't be Alice," said Mia, "the voice is too low."  
  
Lily shrugged and pushed open the door. "Sirius?" She cried in shock.  
  
Sirius looked up guiltily, his dark cheeks stained with tears. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be here but-" He broke off when he saw Mia, looking very guilty with his hand on something on her bed.  
  
"What are you doing?" She demanded.  
  
"I'm leaving now," he said sullenly and turned around, the thing still clutched in his hand.  
  
"Leave whatever you have in your hand," she ordered coldly. To her surprise, Sirius complied, and tears began running down his cheeks.  
  
"Bye Lils," he called as he mounted his broom and flew out the window.  
  
Mia picked up the letter and began to read,  
  
'Dearest Mia,  
  
I know that we have not have the best relationship and I'm almost positive you hate me; I really want to work this out with you. I just want it out in the open that I've always been attracted to you. And now... Now I think I might love you. Though I doubt I'll ever have the chance to talk to you about it since you'll hate me after reading this. And I would be too shy. Which is weird, because I'm not shy.  
  
But anyway, I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me. I even love the way you sing.'  
  
Mia laughed at that. Last year he had caught her singing in the prefect bathroom. She hated her voice, but he insisted it was great and constantly teased her about it.  
  
'I hope that you can forgive me,' the letter went on, 'and just give me one date. I know I'll probably end up with a broken eardrum or a red face when you read this, but please at least consider it. I mean it is our last year. After this, you'll never have to see me again.  
  
'But I'll settle for no date just as long as you're content with knowing that I love you.  
  
Love Always,  
  
Sirius Black'  
  
"What did it say?" Lily asked after Mia looked up. She only then realised that tears were streaming down her face. But she was laughing as well. Guess that was due to the old Sirius charm.  
  
"It's personal," Mia said quietly, "I'm sorry. I hope you can understand."  
  
Lily nodded. "It's okay. But if you've forgiven him, I think you should go say something to him."  
  
Mia broke into a smile. "Yeah. I'll be back. Don't wait up."  
  
---  
  
Mia nearly flew down the stairs into the common room, having expected to have to go up to his dorm to find Sirius. However, luck was on her side and the common room was completely empty except for Sirius.  
  
"Hi."  
  
He turned around slowly and blinked as if surprised to see her. "Hi," he replied unsteadily back, not sure of how he should react.  
  
She smiled slightly and sat next to him on the couch. "We're going about this all wrong," she said lamely.  
  
He carefully placed his hand on her knee. He had a strange look in his eye, one she didn't like.  
  
"What?"  
  
He continued looking at her. "I- I really don't know what to say. I was fairly sure I made it clear that what little we had between us was over." He swallowed hard after he said that and clamped his mouth shut as if trying to repress other words that were struggling to come out.  
  
Tears of desperation stung her eyes. She blinked them away and struggled to keep her voice and emotions in check.  
  
"Please don't let it be like this Sirius. I said I was sorry."  
  
He looked pained. "I know, but you didn't realise how much pain you've caused me. I- I can't just forget that."  
  
She clutched part of his robe in her fist. "Please don't say that."  
  
Sirius looked at her with the strange look again, but did not reply.  
  
Mia struggled to keep her breathing down to small gasps, desperately avoiding the upsurge of panic welling up inside of her. She choked back a wail, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. Her words came choked with desperate tears. She could do no more than beg. "Please forgive me. I- I love you."  
  
He looked up in shock. "Really?"  
  
"Yes, ever since I first saw you," she admitted while furiously blushing.  
  
"Then why did you hate me so much?"  
  
She looked on the verge of telling something important, but her face fell and she said, rather lamely, "You were such a womanizer."  
  
"I thought that you of all people would have disregarded the rumours." Sirius peered intently into her eyes. "But there's something else you're not telling me... What?"  
  
"Well," she gulped nervously, "I was always... afraid of you."  
  
"Me! Why?"  
  
"Well, more of your family. I just naturally assumed you were like them."  
  
"Oh thanks," he said darkly, "you and everyone else on the face of the earth."  
  
"Sirius!" She cried, "Shut up! This is already really hard as it is. You have no idea how hard it was to even be around you, let alone being friends... Or a girlfriend."  
  
"But you're still not telling me WHY." Sirius was impatient.  
  
"Well, do you remember the couple at your father's business meeting the first year that we went to Hogwarts?"  
  
His eyes widened. "You mean the ones who di-"  
  
"Don't say it, please don't say it!" She gripped his fist tight with trembling fingers as she looked into his eyes.  
  
"But they were..." Sirius began, his eyes widening.  
  
"My parents." She sagged against him with a sob.  
  
He hardly seemed to notice her though as he stood up and began pacing. Mia nervously twined her fingers together as tears dripped down her face, all intentions of not crying having been thrown out the window a long time ago. She untwined her hands again and pressed her hands against her stomach, trying to suppress the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"I hate the," he said vehemently, "I'm glad that I'll never have anything to do with them again. No matter how much they push me into becoming a death eater."  
  
Mia gasped at his words. "But you aren't--?"  
  
"No," he said immediately, "of course not. Which is why they're still on me about it."  
  
"Such a horrible family," Mia muttered numbly.  
  
"So that was why you seemed surprised and happy that I had been disowned?" He asked finally.  
  
"Yes, it made me feel better about being friends with you, because I knew you were good," she sniffled miserably.  
  
Finally Sirius seemed to notice the state she was in. He knelt down in front of her, silently and gently wiping the tears from her face. When she had calmed down a little he nervously asked, "Why?"  
  
---  
  
A/N: Ooh, wouldn't you like to know! Wow, this was pretty long. Longer than expected at least. Oh yeah, please review and all that jazz!!! 


	5. Things Heat Up

A/N: Sorry this took a while, but it took me a while to think of. And you should be happy by the end of this chapter. Things get very... hot. Meow. Yeah, read and review. The usual... Oh, and I got mondo inspiration for the end of the chapter by typing in the word "clubbing". Just as a hint...  
  
---  
  
"M-My parents were considered a threat t-to the purebloods. So your mum and dad killed them," Mia said simply, obviously trying to avoid Sirius' eyes.  
  
"So you're a pureblood too?" Sirius looked amazed. "But why are you in Gryffindor."  
  
Mia looked highly affronted. "My family didn't uphold the notions of pureblood being better. It just sort of came out that the family was pureblood. That is why my parents were k-killed."  
  
Sirius pulled her into a tight hug. "It's alright. Shush now, darling," he said soothingly as he cradled the crying Mia.  
  
"It's not," she sobbed.  
  
"It's over. There's nothing you could have done or can do. You have to live now and... and look past your prejudices."  
  
Mia looked up at him. "So you want me to forgive your family for your sake?"  
  
"So," sighed an annoyed Sirius, "I want you to forgive me for being such an ass in the past and for ever being born to such a family."  
  
"You are who you are," she said simply, but by the tight squeeze of her arms around his he figured he was forgive.  
  
"So friends?" He had trouble saying the last word, working so hard not to reach down and kiss her. But he knew where that would lead.  
  
She nodded happily, snuggling deeper into his warm embrace.  
  
"Friends," he sighed softly again.  
  
"Yup." Sirius looked at Mia in surprise. He thought that she had already drifted off to sleep.  
  
"Mia?"  
  
"Love ya."  
  
Sirius looked at her for a moment and finally sighed. "Too bad you're asleep."  
  
---  
  
The next morning the two woke early, surprised to find themselves still on the couch. Mia nearly jumped off of Sirius, blushing with embarrassment.  
  
"I have to go change. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
Sirius nodded. "I'll wait."  
  
Since it was a Saturday, he merely took off his robe, revealing red Muggle board shorts and a black tee shirt. He hurried and threw it into his room where his three friends were still sleeping. He bounded down the stairs again and nearly crashed into Mia.  
  
"Hello," she giggled.  
  
"Milady," he said, "shall we go break our fast?"  
  
"We shall," she replied primly and walked off ahead of him.  
  
Sirius grins and begins walking slowly, obviously in no hurry to catch up to her. He laughed quietly as she dramatically tossed her hair and threw him a sultry look as she rounded a turn. His laughter was cut off by a shriek from around the corner. He hurried around.  
  
"You're looking quite gorgeous this morning, Mia." It was Lucius Malfoy leering and obviously trying to look down her low cut shirt.  
  
" Thanks a lot," Mia responded warily.  
  
"No problem. I mean, how could anyone not notice it. I mean, even the famous Sirius Black is noticing it." He flashed her a grin as he paced toward her.  
  
"What are you talking about? Just because Sirius has what you haven't-"  
  
"Class?" Lucius said dryly. "Anyway, what I mean is that even he would look past your intelligence because you're so beautiful."  
  
"So you're saying he likes me for just my looks?"  
  
"Obviously."  
  
Sirius, who had been listening from around the corner, steeped around, looking furious.  
  
"Oh dear, I seem to have awoken the beast." Lucius moved closer and tried to kiss her, but luckily she caught sight of Sirius from the corner of her eye.  
  
Whirling around, Mia said, "Thank goodness you got here. Geez, ever heard of a watch?"  
  
Sirius quirked an eyebrow, but quickly caught on. "Sorry I'm so late."  
  
"Geez," she repeated as she pressed herself into him.  
  
Sirius looked as if he could faint or die of happiness.  
  
Seeing he was doing nothing, Mia sighed and pulled his face close to hers. "Kiss me, damnit."  
  
He looked at her in shock. Again he was too stunned to do anything and Mia fiercely pressed her lips to his. For a moment there was no reaction. Then suddenly his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer.  
  
The raw power and feeling he put into it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It was somehow different from the seemingly chaste kiss they had shared in the garden. Mia could almost taste his pent up emotions. It was almost enough to make her forget it was just an act, but when she heard Malfoy's receding footsteps, she reluctantly pulled herself away.  
  
"Thanks," she said softly. "I was afraid he would... do something to me."  
  
"No problem," Sirius said tightly, the anger and hurt barely contained, "whenever you need an actor, just call Sirius the sex doll."  
  
"Sirius! Don't be like that."  
  
"I'm sorry. But whenever I kiss you it's not okay, but when you do a simple thanks will make it all better."  
  
"Please don't be like that. It was wrong to use you like that... But I was scared." Mia looked searchingly into his eyes, looking for some sign of forgiveness.  
  
"Yeah, it's okay. I really don't want to fight again. But," he continued dangerously. Mia looked frightened, "only if you'll go to the Spring Fling Ball with me."  
  
Mia looked relieved. "Of course. I'd love to go with you. I mean, since we both don't have a girlfriend or boyfriend."  
  
Sirius looked slightly put out. "Yeah," he brightened up, "yeah, we'll still have fun!"  
  
"But Sirius?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"So you really only like me for my looks?"  
  
Sirius again took on his pained look. "It really doesn't matter now, does it?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You've made it clear that we're never going to make it past the 'friends' stage."  
  
Mia looked exasperated. "You always just imagine that, Sirius! I like you but you just take it too fast. If you would ever slow down and actually get to know me for a person and not just a pretty face then we could actually tell if we liked each other."  
  
Sirius looked at her earnestly. "I know all about you. Your middle name is Roberts, your favourite colour is maroon, you're most afraid of death eaters, your favourite food is pizza, your-"  
  
"STOP!" Mia shouted at him, half in shock, half in appreciation. "We can talk about this later. Let's just focus on breakfast now."  
  
"FOOD!"  
  
---  
  
The day of the ball had arrived and the ball was fast approaching. The two girls, Lily and Mia, had been locked in their room since four o clock that afternoon.  
  
It was now eight and they were nearly done.  
  
"Oh we're going to have so much fun!" Mia squealed, more exuberant than usual.  
  
"Yeah, but you don't have to go with James Potter."  
  
"Oh shut it Lils, everyone knows you like him and he'd obviously do anything for you."  
  
"So?" From the reflection in the mirror that Mia could see Lily looked peeved as she finished with her green eye shadow.  
  
"Take advantage of it," Mia said simply. She looked at herself in the mirror. "It's as good as it's ever going to get."  
  
Lily whirled around to face her. "It's been three hours since we started and you're stunning. Now shut up and let me finish my makeup."  
  
"You do care an awful lot about what you look like for ONLY going with James Potter."  
  
Lily blushed, but said nothing.  
  
Mia looked at herself critically, smoothing her robes down in a fit of nervous energy. "I can't believe I care so much."  
  
It was Lily's turn to smirk. "Yup. Now try and make fun of me."  
  
"Oh, I will."  
  
"Shut up," retorted Lily.  
  
"Look," said Mia, "I'm going downstairs. I'll tell James that you'll get down there eventually."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Bye." Mia pushed open the door and grabbed the banister, squeezing it tightly as she took a deep breath. As soon as she had calmed her nerves, she walked down the stairs.  
  
"Took you..." Sirius' biting remark trailed off. Mia was only vaguely aware that the whole male population of Gryffindor was staring at her.  
  
"And here's Miss Mia looking stunning in a deep purple ensemble." Remus grinned as he announced he entrance.  
  
She curtsied politely and linked arms with Sirius. "Ready?"  
  
"Um, uh, yeah! Let's go!"  
  
"Something wrong?" She asked. Sirius seemed very tense.  
  
"Um no, not at all. I mean, I'm going to the ball with a l- lovely lady tonight..."  
  
"Did Sirius Black just stutter?" Mia asked in amazement.  
  
"No," he said quickly, "now shut up and let's dance!"  
  
He led her out onto the dance floor, wrapping his arms around her waist as she put her arms around his neck. They swayed back and forth to the sounds of "Magical Moment" by the Oddballs.  
  
Mia tried to look anywhere but into Sirius' eyes. She knew that if he did anything... She would be lost.  
  
"Mia," he called softly.  
  
She couldn't help it. "Yes?" She asked looking up at him.  
  
It was like an electric shock just went through her. His beautiful dark eyes gazed into her and gave her goose bumps. She looked away quickly.  
  
"You cold?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'm fine." They remained quiet for a while, then, "you're a very good dancer."  
  
Sirius made a face. "All those stupid balls my parents held. I know how to waltz, tango, you name it."  
  
She laughed softly. "This is fine."  
  
In a few moments, the last lingering notes had faded. Sirius and Mia looked at each other with identical grins on their faces.  
  
"I love this song!" Cried Mia.  
  
"'Memory Charm', I know!"  
  
They were soon caught up in the fast paced beat of the club music. Nearly everyone moved out on the dance floor and Mia and Sirius were soon caught in nearly the center of the room.  
  
Mia was shocked at Sirius' great dance skill. He moved with such grace; she just felt awkward beside him. He, however, seemed very pleased and wore a look of great excitement as he seductively danced.  
  
Mia shivered as she felt his cool hand run up her back. Sirius smiled and moved closer. He watched her face closely, noting as she smiled how her lashes slid down over her eyes ans flickered back up. It was almost too beautiful for him to bear.  
  
His arms held Mia close and she could feel his heart beating as they moved against each other. Suddenly the crowd surged and they were pressed chest to chest. Mia shivered at the pure sensuality of it all, but continued dancing.  
  
Sirius began to run his hands up her spine again and she pulled him close , moaning softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.  
  
"Just friends my ass," muttered Sirius as he began grinding their hips together.  
  
Mia moaned as they were once again pressed together. She pressed her chest into his and slid her hands down his chest. As they swayed and continued their grind, her hands ran up and down his back. When she heard Sirius' moan, she knew she had payback for all the times she had wanted him.  
  
Again the crowd surged. This time their faces were nearly touching.  
  
"What the hell!" She shouted and began kissing him, not realizing that she had the attention of a large portion of the dancers around them.  
  
Sirius didn't seemed surprised in the least, he too was caught up in the passionate, sexy moment. He kissed back with all of his being, pressing his tongue into her mouth, shooting jolts through each of their bodies. The kiss was hot and passionate and their hands ran wantonly up each others bodies as the music was still pounding in their ears.  
  
Sirius moaned in pleasure.  
  
He knew he had been right about her. 


	6. The Summons

A/N: Okay, this is up pretty quickly so that's good, but only because it's a weekend. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully sometime next week. Oh, also I want to thank my two great reviewers, teknokat and EVILMWHAA HA HA HA HAA. They've been really faithful and great, so I dedicate this chapter to you. And I beg all of you to tell your friends, family, enemies, everyone about this. I'm rather dismayed by the lack of reviews.  
  
Anyway, please be warned: this chapter is a lot of fluff. The first half is on Lily and James and then the second half is everyone's favourite couple- that-isn't-really-a-couple-couple, Mia and Sirius.  
  
And originally this was going to be one long chapter, but I broke it up, so chapter 7 will be coming up soon after this chapter, and that's why this one is a bit short. Anyway, enjoy!  
  
---  
  
"Wow," James said enviously, "they certainly look happy."  
  
Lily stared at the couple open mouthed. She gasped when they began snogging furiously. "Friends my ass," she finally managed.  
  
"Looks like the old Sirius charm finally worked on her."  
  
"I'll say." There was a brief pause. "James, it's really hot in here. Can we go outside for a little while?"  
  
James looked down at her and smiled. "Sure." He was making the most of this evening even though Lily insisted she had been forced to come. A few times he was almost sure that she was enjoying herself. At least she was being nice to him.  
  
They stepped out of the wide double doors and into the garden.  
  
Lily giggled. "Remember? This was where we slept that night after Sirius took down that stupid prat Diggory."  
  
"That was fun. I mean-"  
  
Lily laughed at his discomfort. "Yeah, I know what you mean."  
  
"But why did you do it?"  
  
"Do what?" Lily looked confused.  
  
"Well, stay here with me? When you had never once been nice to me."  
  
"Well, when I saw Mia and Sirius I figured we could-"  
  
"You were lonely, weren't you Lils?"  
  
Lily scowled up at him. "If you think that I was lonely enough to stay out here with you Potter, then you've got another thing coming."  
  
"But you did," James reminded her softly, determined not to start another screaming match.  
  
Lily blushed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look, I did it because I really liked you," she snapped.  
  
Whatever James had been expecting, it was not that. "What? You've got to be joking!"  
  
"No, I'm not James." She sighed. "Look, I've been a gigantic idiot over these years. I was just too blind to realize that you weren't evil and it was me with the attitude problem."  
  
"You and Mia are just too much alike." He wanted to confess his undying love at that moment, but he had spoken before he could actually process what she had said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lily laughed at James' staring. "Look, what do I have to do to prove it to you?"  
  
No response.  
  
"Fine." Lily grabbed the back of his head and pushed his lips down to meet hers.  
  
"Bravo!"  
  
"Well done Prongsie!"  
  
Both Lily and James whirled around, blushing profusely.  
  
"Sirius!" James yelled angrily.  
  
"Mia!" Cried a laughing Lily. "Go away! I saw you two having your fun on the dance floor! Now it's our turn!"  
  
Now it was the other couple's turn to blush.  
  
"Yeah, we don't want to see that anyway," muttered Sirius as he led Mia away. They stopped at a deserted corner of the garden and sat down on a small concrete bench.  
  
"You look beautiful tonight."  
  
"You're not too bad yourself, Sirius."  
  
He smiled. "Witty as ever."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
He grew suddenly sober. "What was that all about?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"On the dance floor?"  
  
"I figured we had enough time to get to know each other," she said cryptically.  
  
Sirius stared at her. "You mean...?"  
  
She grinned and planted a kiss on his lips as means to close his mouth. "I guess so."  
  
"In the words of a beautiful woman I know 'what the hell'!"  
  
He began to kiss her and Mia felt that jolt of emotion run through her body for the second time that night.  
  
As he kissed her she forgot all the arguments they had ever had. She finally felt the weight of her parents lift from her chest. How ironic that the person to do that was related to their killers.  
  
She pushed her fingers through his hair as he placed kisses down her neck and collarbone. She responded by placing kisses down his jaw line as he pulled her close.  
  
Her lips tingled with the pleasure and force of his affection. The only thing she could manage to think was to wonder how Lily and James were getting on. But before she could wonder much else, Sirius had pushed her dress off of her shoulders and began to hungrily kiss her now bare skin.  
  
She shivered and suddenly felt very uncomfortable as she kissed his forehead.  
  
"Sirius," she moaned. He ignored her. "Sirius," she said again, this time with more urgency in her voice.  
  
He looked up, his eyes dilated and fiercely glowing. "What?"  
  
"I can't do this. I don't want to."  
  
Sirius looked up at her with an amused look on his face. "I told you I was a virgin."  
  
"You really are?"  
  
"Of course. And I'm not about to go ruin that with you when I know that you're not fully ready."  
  
She smiled and kissed him. "Are you sure you're really Sirius Black?"  
  
He laughed. "Although my family was horrible, I was put upon to learn some manners."  
  
"Well then."  
  
"So?" His eyes looked at her questioningly.  
  
"I'm a bit tired. Shall we retire?"  
  
He nodded. As they walked back into the dance they were shocked to see that it was nearly empty. Neither of them had realized how long they had been out there.  
  
"Oops," laughed Mia.  
  
"Yeah." Sirius laughed. "I wonder what happened to James and Lily?"  
  
Mia giggled. "Lily told me at the beginning of this evening that there was no way that she would enjoy a whole night with James Potter."  
  
"They seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely when we caught sight of them," Sirius managed to say blandly.  
  
They continued walking down the halls toward Gryffindor Tower in a comfortable silence. When they were nearly there they heard a tapping noise.  
  
"What's that?" Sirius looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the tapping.  
  
"Here it is! It's an owl," said Mia as she opened the window.  
  
"Oh no," breathed Sirius.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Jeremy."  
  
"Your Mum's owl?"  
  
Sirius nodded grimly. He nearly ripped off the old owl's leg as he snatched the letter. He read it over; Mia could not discern what it said over his wide array of emotions. Finally, he spoke.  
  
"It's a summons. Mother wants me to come to one final dinner party."  
  
Mia looked at him incredulously. "Does she really expect you to go."  
  
He nodded. "Apparently my uncle Randolph will be there." Seeing the questioning looks, he answered, "He's like me. He doesn't believe in all this stupid pureblood stuff."  
  
"Then why hasn't he been kicked out of the family?"  
  
"He's not so overt about proclaiming it as I was."  
  
She nodded slowly. "But why do they want you to come?"  
  
"It's my brother's birthday. For some reason he still vaguely likes me and insists on me coming to family events."  
  
"But why do you have to go just because he asked?"  
  
"He... he once did something for me. I owe him something."  
  
"So this will bring closure for you?"  
  
"I guess." He shrugged self consciously. "The only stipulation is that I have to bring an escort."  
  
"I could go!"  
  
"No," he said flatly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Don't you know what they did to your parents?"  
  
"Of course," her eyes filled with tears as she spoke, "Of course I do. But Sirius, when you go there you'll have no one. We're both in the same boat."  
  
He smiled sadly. "As much as I hate to say it, you're right. Shall I owl her back?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
---  
  
A/N: Alrighty then. The next chapter will begin as they enter the house. Should be exciting. 


	7. Two Parties

A/N: 'Ello! I told you this one would be up fast! Anyway, this is a very serious chapter at the beginning, but then it's just some random fun stuff at the end when they all play truth or dare. The next chapter is a little later in the year and those chapters will be centred around winter break and such. (Keep in mind that is late May at the moment, so we're moving along a bit.) But yeah, read and review as always.  
  
---  
  
"Ah, Sirius. So glad you could come," said the tall man. He was sneering, obviously not at all glad to see him. "And this must be your new little whore. Please tell me that she's not some Muggle born."  
  
Sirius' glare matched the ferocity of the man's. "No, Father, she is indeed a pureblood."  
  
The man smiled a bit more gently. "Well then, very good Sirius. Maybe you can bring redemption to your name."  
  
"Yeah right," he muttered.  
  
"Who are you, my dear?" Sirius' father asked, ignoring his son's comment.  
  
"I am Mia Wakefield. Perhaps you remember my parents?"  
  
The man's eyes widened. "Yes, well, that was most unfortunate. But I believe I do remember you. A charming little girl, to be sure."  
  
Mia smiled. She couldn't help it. "Thank you sir, you're very kind."  
  
"You're very well mannered," he countered. "Perhaps when you two are married you could instill a bit of this into my son."  
  
"Married?" Mia asked, bemused.  
  
The man smiled. "Please come in."  
  
He led then through a great foyer and into a large dining hall already filled with many people. Mia recognized only a few people from school. Belatrix, Narcissa, Regulus.  
  
All Slytherins.  
  
"Ah Sirius! How wonderful of you to come to my humble party," said Regulus as he hurried up to his brother, "and to bring a date! Pureblood, but unfortunately Gryffindor."  
  
"Hello Regulus," said Sirius dully.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Mia said dutifully as she shook his hand.  
  
"Yes, yes. Now Sirius," he warned, lowering his voice, "do not do anything to upset Mother. She's been in such a state about you ever since you've run away."  
  
Sirius nodded, but said nothing until his brother had walked away. "Woo hoo. Great reunion already, huh?"  
  
"He seemed fine."  
  
Sirius glared at her, but said nothing.  
  
"Well, your dad seemed normal. Except for the part about us getting married. That was weird, wasn't it?"  
  
Sirius nodded and muttered something unintelligible. Mia knew he knew something, but said nothing.  
  
"Ah, Sirius!"  
  
"Don't say his name!" A woman shrieked at the man in front of him. So this was Mrs. Black.  
  
"Hello Mother," Sirius said quietly.  
  
"How dare you even look into my eyes, you filthy Mudblood lover! How dare you step foot inside the House of Black after you run away and join those blood traitors, the Potters?"  
  
"That makes absolutely no sense. You were the one who invited him here!" Mia heard Sirius snort at her words, but otherwise the whole room was silent.  
  
"Shut up girl! I know who you are! Daughter of the other blood traitors. Well, I suppose you and this ungrateful boy are made for each other. And to think that we tried to arrange a marriage with you for our Sirius!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Oh, didn't my ungrateful son tell you why you parents were killed? Because they would not consent to their daughter becoming a Black. That wench was just as ungrateful as my former son!"  
  
"My mother was not a wench! She was smart! And no, I never knew a thing about an arranged marriage."  
  
Regulus tried to intervene. "But Sirius said he has learned the errors of his ways. He wants to become a good Black again!"  
  
"I said no such thing!"  
  
"Shut up, Regulus," spat Mrs. Black, "The ungrateful boy would never do that! He takes pleasure in the shaming of our family!" Tears poured out of her eyes, but she kept her back straight and voice loud.  
  
"He did not shame your family. The only shame is that such a wonderful person was born from you!" Mia's voice nearly matched his mother's.  
  
"Mother, we could always make amends. Think of what an asset he would be to our lord if-"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Shouted Mia. "Sirius is too good for the likes of you."  
  
At this, Mrs. Black burst into tears. "Get out of here! Both of you! And watch your back little girl. You may end up as your parents!"  
  
"Don't you dare threaten her!" Yelled Sirius. Mia feared he would have done more, but the press of the angry crowd pushed tem towards and out the door. The last thing they heard was,  
  
"Mother, you still have me," from Regulus.  
  
"Yes, they deserve each other," spat Sirius.  
  
"Well how did it just magically slip your mind that we were supposed to be married? Why didn't you ever tell me?"  
  
"I- Well, you always got so upset when you talked about your parents. I really didn't want to upset you." He winced seeing the look on her face. "I know it was a stupid reason, but it was just weird to talk about and I felt bad about it, okay?"  
  
Mia sighed. "It's really not your fault. It's okay."  
  
"I hate them all. All of my family is worthless and evil! I wish I had never been born!"  
  
"Where would I be if you weren't born? And it's not your fault. Besides, you're done with them. You don't need them. You have us, me," Mia comforted him.  
  
"Yeah." Sirius forced a smile. "You're right."  
  
They walked along the dark road searching for the portkey that Dumbledore had made for them.  
  
"Why did Dumbledore let us go? Didn't he know it would be dangerous?"  
  
"Dumbledore has always trusted me to do the right thing." Sirius shrugged. "I guess he just has faith in me that I'll do the right thing. And I think he knew that my family won't hurt me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they still have the chance to turn me to their side. I mean, I'm powerful to them I guess and if I were on their side it could be a very good thing."  
  
"Well I'm glad they don't have that chance."  
  
Sirius smiled tightly. Sometimes he wondered if he really had it in him to resist for the rest of his life...  
  
"Ah, here it is!" Mia pointed to a small microwave lying on the side of the road.  
  
Sirius looked at it, then threw a glance at Mia. "What if we didn't catch it?"  
  
"What?" Her face was shocked.  
  
"What if we just left? Think. I mean, we could go anywhere we wanted. We could leave this all behind."  
  
"Why? Don't you like it at Hogwarts?"  
  
"Of course," he said sadly, "but everywhere I go there, I'm immediately branded as a Black. I'm always associated with my family. If we went somewhere else then we could start over. We could be whoever we wanted to be. We could leave the past behind."  
  
"Sirius." Her voice was soft, but it seemed loud in the silence of the night. "As much as you have to put the past behind you, you can't get rid of it. You've got to live with it. These experiences have made you stronger. And a better person."  
  
"But I just want to be normal," Sirius said in a tight voice.  
  
"So do I." Mia leaned her head against his chest and their arms soon circled around each other's waists. "But it's not meant to be."  
  
"You're right."  
  
Mia smiled slightly and met his eyes. "Look, today's Friday. This is a Hogsmeade weekend. We'll do something fun and exciting. Trust me."  
  
"I do trust you."  
  
"Good. Now can I please have the old goofy Sirius back? This is one is scaring me a little."  
  
"Yes ma'am!"  
  
He began to tickle Mia mercilessly.  
  
"S-stop! We- we gotta catch that!" Mia said helplessly pointing to the portkey.  
  
"Nah, we got out of there way early. We've got plenty of time," said Sirius as he effortlessly held Mia down and straddled her.  
  
"Sirius! Stop! STOP!"  
  
---  
  
(A/N: Alright, this next little portion was written just because I felt a need to write something stupid and funny after everyone being so darn grim!)  
  
"So, how'd it go?"  
  
Sirius shook his head at James who was sprawled out on the couch. "Not pretty. I'll talk later. Now I wanna do something fun."  
  
Lily looked up from the book she was reading. It seemed like she was avoiding James' gaze. Probably gotten into another fight. "We could play truth or dare!"  
  
"Wow, Lils, I didn't think you'd be the fun one!"  
  
"Shut up Sirius!" She shouted and swatted his arm playfully.  
  
"I'm in," said Remus mildly.  
  
"Right. That'll be fun," exclaimed Mia, "except we need another girl to even it out."  
  
"Oy, Amber! Wanna play truth or dare with us?"  
  
"Sirius, no," whined Remus.  
  
The pretty blonde looked over at Sirius. She was a casual acquaintance of the five friends. She nodded.  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
Soon they were all seated in a couch or a chair which they had dragged around to face in a circle.  
  
"Who wants to start? Me. Ok," said Sirius quickly before anyone could get a word in edgewise. "Alright, um, Remus!"  
  
Remus blushed a deep crimson and shot a look over toward Amber. It was a well known secret that he fancied her. "What?"  
  
"Truth or dare?"  
  
"Um, truth."  
  
"Who do you fancy?"  
  
Remus got even redder. "Not fair. You already know the answer."  
  
"I don't," said Mia with a grin on her face.  
  
"Fine. I like Amber," he whispered. Everyone grinned at the stunned expression on Amber's face.  
  
"Alright, James, truth or dare?" Remus glared at his friends as he asked.  
  
"How about a little dare?" James grinned in anticipation. He was the dare champion, known to never back out of any dare.  
  
"Fine. Make out with Lily."  
  
James looked at Remus pleadingly. "Please don't Moony. She's already pissed off at me," he said as if she weren't even there.  
  
"Why?" Mia leaned forward with interest.  
  
"Geez James, don't be such a wuss. Just do it," sighed Lily with a roll of her eyes.  
  
James looked at her in surprise, but quickly leaned over and gave her a kiss.  
  
"Hardly making out, but we'll accept it for the sake of James' health. Now ask someone Remus," said Sirius.  
  
"Ok. Sirius. Truth or dare."  
  
"Dare, obviously."  
  
"Alright. I dare you to, um, kiss everyone in this room and tell us who's the best kisser."  
  
Sirius grinned. "Right-o. But I think I already have a winner," he quipped, winking at Mia.  
  
He started at the far end of the couch with Amber. She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck.  
  
He threw her a look of mock anger. "Well obviously you don't love me."  
  
She giggled nervously and threw a look at Remus.  
  
"Anyway, next!" He approached Mia and was about to begin when suddenly James shouted,  
  
"No need to kiss her! We know you know what she's like."  
  
"Shut up James," said Mia.  
  
"Fine, then the next person is you Prongsie," squealed Sirius in a high girly voice. He leaned down and kissed him square on the lips. "I've had better," he said after a moment.  
  
"Well, I never!" James glared at him in mock indignation.  
  
Sirius grinned and moved on to Remus. He kissed him longer and drew back spluttering. "Eew, dog breath!"  
  
"I could say the same for you, Padfoot," said Remus. "And you're a horrible kisser."  
  
"Hey! Hey! I'm the judge here!" Finally he went over to Lily. He kissed her the longest and he could almost feel James' glare burning through his back. "Yup, it's definitely Mia. But Lils is a close second."  
  
"Ok, moving on." James glared sourly at his friend.  
  
"Alright. Lils, truth or dare."  
  
"Truth," she said slowly.  
  
"What's your bra size?"  
  
"Sirius, you're so immature! But it's a 36B if you must know."  
  
Sirius looked disappointed. "I thought they were bigger than-"  
  
"Sirius!"  
  
"Whatever. Just go Lils."  
  
"Alright, Mia, truth or dare?"  
  
"Dare."  
  
Lily got an evil look on her face. "Play the rest of the game in nothing but your bra and underwear."  
  
Mia shrugged. "Ok, I'm not that self conscious." Everyone looked at her in disbelief as she quickly took off her clothes.  
  
Sirius looked at her in awe. "I so wanna get you in bed."  
  
Mia glared at him. "If you ever say that again I will rip off a very important part of you."  
  
"Yes ma'am," he said, quailing under her gaze. "Your turn to ask."  
  
"Ok, um Amber, truth or dare."  
  
"Dare."  
  
"Give Remus a lap dance."  
  
---  
  
A/N: Okay, that was me having my bit of fun. So la la la. Read and review. Blah! 


	8. Holiday Cheer Gone

A/N: This starts out all light and cheery but quickly escalates into something veddy veddy bad! In this chapter Mia and Sirius' relationship is defined more and his family life is again a problem. Damn that family!  
  
Well, thank you for all the reviews! I haven't been acknowledging you guys as I should so here's a thanks to everyone that has reviewed! If you're not on it, get on the bandwagon right quick:  
  
Thank you to:  
  
Nocturnal007  
  
Amber Spirit  
  
EVILMWHAA HA HA HA HAA  
  
teknocat  
  
Star of the Muses  
  
professor-fidget  
  
bboo (unsigned)  
  
HeavenlyDevilish  
  
BlackWiltedRose  
  
fiery-skies  
  
Doodleflip  
  
Z  
  
A huge thank you to all who reviewed and made me very happy these last seven chapters!  
  
---  
  
"Christmas! Christmas! Christmas time is here," chanted Sirius excitedly. He had been bouncing around the Common Room in this manner for some time. In fact, it had been since two days ago when classes had let out.  
  
Mia kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for sharing that. As if we were too daft not to hear it the other seven thousand times you've said it."  
  
"Quite right," chuckled Remus, not bothering to look up from the book he was curled up in.  
  
Sirius pouted for a moment at the insult, but the holiday cheer (and not to mention sugar) quickly perked him back up. "Is everyone staying for the holidays?"  
  
"Sirius," Remus said exasperatedly, "We've already told you this about a million times."  
  
"Told me what?" Sirius looked confused. "Oh yeah! So who's staying?"  
  
"I am," said James, who was currently sprawled out on one of the large sofas. Though it was large, it was not long enough to hold his long frame and he overlapped it by quite a bit, much to the consternation of Lily, who was currently pinned under his legs.  
  
"Me too," she said, resigned to the fact that she was stuck under his legs.  
  
"Yowch!" James yelped a moment later. Everyone looked on. They knew this should be good-- Lily had resorted to pulling out every individual hair on his leg, one by one.  
  
"What?" She asked innocently.  
  
"So mind not pulling the leg hairs?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What? Yes to what?"  
  
"James," she said slowly, as if talking to a four year old on crack, " 'yes' was the answer to your question."  
  
James did not seem satisfied with that answer, but merely rolled his eyes and attacked Lily with his toes.  
  
"Will you two stop flirting?" Remus glared at the two moodily. "I'm trying to read. Something you obviously don't do James, from your abysmal grades!"  
  
"You're just jealous because you're too shy to ask Amber out," laughed Mia. She added, "Yeah, I'm staying. And so is Amber."  
  
"Me too," said Remus sulkily, hiding behind his book to disguise the red rising on his face.  
  
"Me too," piped up Peter, but as usual, no one paid him any mind.  
  
"Great! The whole gang's going to be here! Pity there's not a ball this year. Oh well!" Nothing could make Sirius sad during the holidays.  
  
After a brief monologue on the wonders of the Christmas tree (care of Sirius), the room was silent except for the crackling of the fire and James' toes.  
  
"That's disgusting," sniffed Lily, wrinkling her nose in disgust.  
  
"I'm bored," whined James, pointedly ignoring the girl he had plastered to the couch.  
  
"Shut it James," said Lily as Mia said, "We could continue on truth or dare!"  
  
"You called me James!" James exulted as Remus said, "that could be fun."  
  
Peter giggled as Lily slapped James' leg as Sirius said, "Remus just wants to play it because he never got Amber's lap dance!"  
  
Remus did not dignify that comment, but did manage to turn bright red (again) and glare.  
  
"What? It's true," said Sirius innocently.  
  
"Well we obviously need to do something," Mia mused.  
  
"Ah! She's got an idea!" (Around the holidays all of Sirius' sentences ended in exclamation points.)  
  
"Yeah, I do actually. I say we go down to the Quiddich Pitch and go have a game."  
  
"Mia! I hate heights!" Lily indeed looked quite frightened at the mere thought of it.  
  
Mia dismissed her comment. "Whatever, you could be one of those stupid peppy Muggle cheerleaders while the rest of us have some fun."  
  
"I'm in," chorused Sirius and James.  
  
Remus stood up. "Shall we go?"  
  
...............  
  
A mere ten minutes later the six friends had arrived. Lily had been forced into coming and was now hitched over the shoulder of James Potter, screaming her head off. Sirius had thought this a grand idea and swept Mia up, who just giggled and half heartedly beat his back as they made their way down to the pitch.  
  
Remus had thought it wise not to carry Peter.  
  
Anyway, it was only half past five, but it was already nearly dark. And cold.  
  
"Very cold," commented Peter intelligently.  
  
"No? Really?" Sirius sneered at Peter and smacked him with his broom.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"Come on guys, let's play," James suggested.  
  
With that Remus, James, Sirius, and Mia had mounted their brooms and flew up, whooping and yelling as they felt the cool night air rush over their bodies.  
  
Lily and Peter (who had decided he did not want to die quite yet) took their seats in the relative safety of the Gryffindor bleachers and watched the other four.  
  
"Any one got any balls?" James looked dismayed; he couldn't believe he had forgotten to bring any other equiptment.  
  
"I've got some!" Joyfully shouted Sirius. Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
Would this kid never grow up?  
  
"I haven't," managed a giggling Mia.  
  
"Oh well, looks like we'll just have to fly a bit. No play." Everyone could hear the disappointment in his voice.  
  
"Oh cheer up James! We'll play tag," Mia suggested.  
  
"YEAH!" Sirius was excited.  
  
Still.  
  
"Okay. Not it!" Mia called quickly.  
  
"Not it!" Sirius was bucking his broom around so much the other five feared for his life.  
  
"Not it!"  
  
"Fine, I guess I'm it," pouted James. "Ready or not, here I come!"  
  
With that he shot off towards the nearest person—Remus.  
  
"Oh no you don't," roared Remus as he shot off displaying his infrequent grin. He skillfully dodged the Gryffindor chaser and flew off to hide behind Sirius.  
  
"Hey! Not fair!" Sirius shot off, leaving Remus in the open.  
  
James, without hesitation, shot headlong into Remus—but hit only air. "GRR!" He shouted, having been eluded by Remus for a second time.  
  
"You suck James," laughed Mia, so far unmoving.  
  
"Oh, you asked for it," muttered James. He shot off.  
  
Mia saw him coming in slow motion; she should have been able to dodge him easily. But before she could even think of moving, before James could touch her, a tremendous force hit her square in the chest.  
  
Before she could even react, she felt herself falling. She could hear nothing but the wind rushing by her ears and the faint sound of a high pitched wail from the direction of the bleachers.  
  
And suddenly it stopped.  
  
Funny. This feeling, that is, she thought to herself. I'm all tingly. And very tired. Why was she so tired? And look! There's a boy. A boy... Sirius!  
  
Finally she recognized the boy. And the feeling.  
  
Pain.  
  
"Help," she was able to mutter before she completely blacked out.  
  
Sirius had landed as soon as he could, and Remus and James were not far behind. He bent down and checked her pulse and breathing as he wiped the hair away from her sweaty face.  
  
"Oh Merlin! I knew Quiddich was dangerous! Is she hurt? Oh Mia," moaned Lily as she reached the group. Peter came up to the group, panting and clearly winded.  
  
"B-but I- I never- I di- didn't touch h-her!" James babbled behind the two. Sirius hardly seemed to noticed as he peered concernedly into her face.  
  
"I know it wasn't you James," he dismissed, "You didn't even touch her. Besides, I'm pretty sure it was a spell."  
  
Lily put a comforting hand around his shoulders and in return he buried his head in her shoulder. Normally this would have been a big deal, but there was a crisis to deal with.  
  
Remus nodded his head in agreement, too in shock to realize Sirius wouldn't be able to see him. "We've got to get her to the infirmary," he said logically.  
  
"Good thinking." Sirius conjured up a stretcher and, gingerly picking Mia up and putting her on the stretcher, took it towards the school, careful not to jostle her in the process.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Ring the Hogwart's bells..." A ghost mournfully sang as they passed by the entrance to the kitchens.  
  
"Shut it," snapped Sirius, finally out of his holiday spirits.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Cast a Christmas spell." The ghost continued its mournful singing, apparently not hearing Sirius. And instead of carrying on the way it had come, it began trailing along with the singing, "Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong..."  
  
They sped up and were finally able to get away from it.  
  
"What do you think happened?" Asked Lily gotten inside and past the ghost. It had seemed almost taboo to talk outside.  
  
"I bet you anything it was my mum," Sirius said darkly, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice.  
  
"Really?" Lily looked surprised as she led James down the hall by his hand. He was still too shaken from the event to be of any help.  
  
"Normally I would thin the best of people, Lily, but I'm fairly sure he's right." Remus laid a hand on Mia's shoulder as he spoke. "I mean, obviously she was very upset the night of Regulus' birthday."  
  
"She wanted to get rid of any threat to the Black lineage," Sirius growled.  
  
"Why didn't she just k-kill you, Sirius?"  
  
"Because, my dearest Lily," he said sarcastically, "I'm too important for their cause to kill me. They still hold the foolish notion that I could be swayed by power."  
  
"But power is important," Peter finally managed to squeak.  
  
Sirius whirled on him. "Worth the destruction of the world as we know it? What, are you suggesting that I join this dark lord?"  
  
Peter's watery eyes widened as he feigned shock. "Of course not. I was just saying..."  
  
Before Sirius could get anything more than a decent glare thrown at Peter they had reached the infirmary.  
  
"Madame Pomfrey!" Sirius raised his voice as loud as he dared. The young plump witch was a Nazi (if they knew who they were) and kicked out anything that made noise louder than a mouse.  
  
"What is it? Have you boys gotten into a fight again?" She asked irritably as she strode over to them. "Oh, oh dear," she breathed as she caught sight of Mia. "Out! Everyone out!"  
  
"Please, ma'am, can I stay? She needs someone," pleaded Sirius.  
  
"Oh fine," she said, softening at the look in his eyes. "You can tell me what happened. But the rest of you- out!"  
  
The four remaining friends shuffled slowly out of the room, throwing soft words of encouragement to their two friends.  
  
After relating the story to Madame Pomfrey she nodded brusquely.  
  
"Of course, it seems that someone hit her with a Pugnatem Curse. And you're sure you have no idea who?"  
  
Sirius shook his head guiltily. He was not ready to say anything, yet.  
  
"Now I have the reverse to this curse. As you probably know, the Pugnatem Curse is liked a magical punch to the person on the receiving end. It also takes a great amount of energy from the receiver. This potion will immediately revive her, but she will be very tired. I will leave it up to you to get her to eat this chocolate. And no pranking," she finished sternly.  
  
"Thank you," Sirius said, grateful that she trusted him enough to do this himself. Now he felt bad about lying...  
  
Quickly Mia was forced to drink the potion. As soon as Madame Pomfrey was satisfied she was awake, she bustled out of the room, leaving the two alone.  
  
"Sirius?" Mia opened her eyes slowly. It took her a while to focus on the earnest face looming above her.  
  
"Great! You're awake. You've got to eat this chocolate. You've been hit by a Pugnatem Curse-"  
  
"What?" She cried. "By who?"  
  
"I don't know," Sirius said softly. Reluctantly he added, "I thought it might be my mother."  
  
Mia nodded thoughtfully and, very carefully, sat herself upright in the bed. "That would make sense. She does rather hate me."  
  
"Glad to see you're taking this so calmly! You nearly gave me a heart attack when you fell! Nearly fifty feet, I would say!" He was greatly shocked to see tears running down her face. "What? What's wrong? I'm sorry!"  
  
She shook her head and smiled through her tears. "Nothing's wrong. You're just so- so wonderful! For taking care of me and all." She reached down and gently cupped his face. "Sirius, I love you."  
  
Sirius looked shocked. He squatted silently on the floor for a moment, then finally grabbed her hand and said awkwardly, "I- I really like you too."  
  
Mia wrenched her hand out of his. "I should have expected that one, Black," she said bitterly, "I knew it was too good to be true."  
  
"What? I- I really do l- lo-l." But he couldn't bring himself to say it.  
  
"Why did you even bother?" She struggled to restraint the tears that were pouring down her cheeks, but to no avail.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said in a very small voice. "I just can't."  
  
"WHY? TELL ME THAT B:ACK! WHY?"  
  
In the back of Sirius' mind he vaguely wondered why Madame Pomfrey hadn't returned at the sound of her patient screaming.  
  
"WHY?"  
  
"I- I don't know how," he finally spat out, feeling his cheeks burning with shame.  
  
Surprisingly, Mia burst out laughing. "Black, that's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard."  
  
The look on Sirius' face was enough to halt her laughter. "I'd bet you'd be laughing if you were in my place. For my whole life my parents alternately told me that they loved me or that I was a failure. From what I've known of it, love is a stupid and false pretense. It's not real. Not in my life, anyway."  
  
"It's true in my life," she said, gently rubbing his back, "and I'm in your life Sirius, and it's a part of you. All of your friends have love, and they're sharing it with you. All you need to do is accept it and it will be a part of you." She took a deep breath. "I don't care if you tell me you love me." She paused. "Well, yes I do. It hurts. But I understand if you can't say it. I just want you to know that if you could ever love me the feeling is mutual."  
  
---  
  
A/N: Aww, can you feel the love tonight? Anyway, that was fairly long and I'm actually pleased with the outcome. (Approximately 2500 words! Go me!) Yeah, well, as usual R&R. 


	9. The Truth

A/N: Alright, I've decided on a new approach to my chapters. They're going to go by months so I can make the chapters longer and not have them skipping randomly through time. Hopefully this will move the story along and keep you guys interested. Um, thanks to my reviewers, I don't have you all individually thanked in this chapter, but you know who you are!  
  
Anyway, hope you enjoy...  
  
---  
  
Chapter 9, January  
  
Mia yawned sleepily and settled deeper into the couch as she listened to the dull roar of the boy's low voices around her. She was so content she failed to hear the danger creeping up on her...  
  
A loud explosion to her left destroyed her peace and nearly blew Mia's eardrum out.  
  
"JAMES POTTER!" She screeched, sitting bolt upright. She glared at the half- sorry half-delighted boy standing next to her couch. "I'm going to kill you," she cried as she ran towards him. She vaguely heard Lily's cry of disbelief, but quickly put it out of her mind.  
  
Instead she tackled him onto the couch, straddling him as she bent down and said in her most menacing voice, "It's not midnight yet. Do not blow up anything until then or I will be forced to kill you."  
  
"But I thought you loved me, dear Mia." The look on his face was so pathetic she almost believed him. Almost.  
  
"Yeah right you pathetic loser."  
  
"I'm hurt," he said in mock dismay as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him.  
  
"James! Let me go!" Mia struggled, but his grip was too strong.  
  
"You know you want me," he crooned, and before she could react, he reached up and planted a kiss square on her lips.  
  
"EEEEW!" Mia cried, and laughed at hearing the "hey!" coming from a laughing Sirius.  
  
"Stop it you two lovebirds," said Remus while throwing a glance at Lily, who seemed on the verge of tears.  
  
James just laughed and began to tickle her. Quickly they became acquainted with the floor as they rolled around, each trying to tickle the other into submission.  
  
"N-no, James! Stop! Stop it!" Suddenly she felt herself lifted away from James. Looking up Mia found she was in the arms of a stern Sirius.  
  
"What?" She asked, still giggling uncontrollably as James stuck his tongue out at her from behind Sirius.  
  
"You're really upsetting Lily. I'd go talk to her."  
  
She looked at him in confusion, then threw a glance over at Lily, who was already storming up the stairs to our dorm. "What did I do?"  
  
Remus looked up from the couch. He looked sick again. "I think Lily is finally realizing her feelings for our dear friend James."  
  
"Lily's... Jealous of me?" She asked incredulously, not able to process this.  
  
James looked at Mia in horror. "I don't like you... I mean, not, well..."  
  
"I got it." She threw a reassuring smile at him. "Look, I never realized she'd feel that strongly. I mean, I knew she liked you and all, but I didn't think she'd think we liked each other." A pause. "No offense James."  
  
"None taken. But please go talk to her." His face looked drawn and worried and he was throwing frequent glances towards the staircase as he spoke.  
  
She nodded and headed up the stairs. Quickly she opened the door to her room and found it deserted except for a very small looking Lily sprawled in the middle of her bed, crying furiously.  
  
"Lils? You okay?" Mia tentatively stepped forward.  
  
"Go away." Lily's voice was hard.  
  
"I didn't do anything, Lils!"  
  
"Yes you did!" She sat up and began glaring at Mia. "You knew very well that I liked him and then you went and flirted with him."  
  
"I did not flirt with James Potter! I am going out with Sirius, and I don't like James. And I clearly did not know that you liked him. Well, I did, but you insist that you hate him, so it's free bait for anyone that wants him."  
  
"But you should know! You did know!"  
  
"Well what if I did? It's not like you're ever going to do anything!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" The boys down in the common room could hear Lily scream.  
  
"DO you think we should go help Mia?" Sirius asked worriedly.  
  
"If we hear any screams of pain we'll go up there," said Remus dryly.  
  
"Shut up Moony."  
  
"I was just joking Padfoot!"  
  
Up in the girl's room, things were also tense.  
  
"Look, I already told you I don't want James. I'm going out with Sirius. Honestly, I thought you were supposed to be smart Lily."  
  
That seemed to break Lily. "Oh god, you're right! Why are we fighting over James? I know you don't like him, but I do."  
  
Mia looked slightly mollified, but still hurt.  
  
Lily burst into a fresh wave of tears. "I'm sorry Mia, I was so stupid."  
  
Mia moved over and sat on the bed next to Lily. "You were," she said, "but so was I and it all worked out."  
  
Lily's tears slowly began to stop and she smiled with gratitude at Mia. "Thanks, that helped. But I was just expecting..." She trailed off, blushing furiously.  
  
"What?" Mia's interest was piqued.  
  
"Well, I just was hoping that James would kiss me at midnight tonight," Lily said quickly.  
  
"Aw!" Mia squealed in delight. "That's so cute!"  
  
"But it won't happen."  
  
"Sure it will!" With that, Mia grabbed Lily's hand and, ignoring her loud protests, dragged her back to the common room.  
  
The three boys looked up in concern.  
  
"You okay Lils?" James asked tentatively.  
  
Lily smiled at him while rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."  
  
Sirius and Remus beamed at Mia as she sat down beside them.  
  
"I don't know what you did, but it worked," whispered Sirius, not taking his eyes off of the blushing couple across from them.  
  
"Yeah," sighed Remus enviously as Lily sat nervously beside James.  
  
Mia smiled over at Remus. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get Amber. Just kiss her tonight."  
  
Instead of blushing as Mia would have expected him to do, his face became dejected. "No, she'd never go out with me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Sirius and Remus exchanged a meaningful glance, one Mia did not miss.  
  
"Why?" She repeated her question with more insistence.  
  
"Tell you later." At that moment, Mia realized just how worn and sick Remus looked. But he was still handsome. She couldn't see why Amber wouldn't go out with him.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We've got fireworks for tonight," Sirius said in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.  
  
"I know," Mia said wryly, "one nearly deafened me."  
  
---  
  
"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... HAPPY NEW YEAR!"  
  
The noise in the common room was deafening as numerous fireworks were released and went whizzing above the heads of the shouting students.  
  
Among these students were six very happy people kissing in the New Year.  
  
"Happy New Year James," Lily said as she planted another kiss on his lips.  
  
"You have no idea how happy I am," he said languidly as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
Nearby Remus and a certain girl of his dreams were too furiously snogging to be available for any comment. The euphoria on their faces was enough to share their feelings, though.  
  
"Happy New Year, Sirius." Mia smiled up at him as they sat in a windowsill watching the fireworks going off all over the grounds.  
  
"And the same to you," Sirius replied, pulling her close. "And let's make this one just a little less eventful."  
  
"Deal."  
  
---  
  
Mia yawned and stretched her arms above her head after she had finally gotten dressed. It seemed to be nearly eleven by what she could tell, but her eyes were so blurry she wasn't quite sure. She never slept this late, but the New Years party had gone on very late.  
  
She looked around her room and finally realized that no one else was there. Then she remembered that it was yet another Hogsmeade weekend.  
  
"Guess I won't be going there," She mused, to no one in particular.  
  
Shrugging she headed out the door and down to the common room, not expecting to see anyone but a few younger kids.  
  
"Hello Mia."  
  
Mia jumped. She hadn't even noticed him sitting there.  
  
He grinned. "Sorry I scared you."  
  
"That's alright Remus." She sat down beside him and gave him a tight hug.  
  
"What was that for?" He looked surprised.  
  
"I'm glad you're happy."  
  
"Thanks." He smiled again.  
  
"But," said Mia as she looked at him closely, "you don't look so great. Have you eaten yet?"  
  
Remus smiled guiltily and shook his head. "I got up late and I didn't make it to breakfast."  
  
"What kind of Marauder are you? Let's just go down to the kitchens."  
  
"Okay." He stood and seemed to get dizzy. He grabbed onto the seat of the couch as he blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to dispel the blackness.  
  
"You okay?" Mia asked in concern.  
  
"Fine, fine," he muttered as he finally straightened back up.  
  
Not convinced, Mia wrapped her arm around his waist and proceeded to lecture him on the importance of eating right and sleeping regular hours.  
  
She was still talking (and Remus laughing) when they reached the portrait of the fruit. "Oh, well here we are," she said.  
  
Quickly they went into the kitchens and were surrounded by house elves.  
  
"What would you like, Mistress and Master?"  
  
Remus looked put out by the use of that name, but casually replied, "Just some breakfast."  
  
"Of course," said the same house elf. It quickly bowed and rushed off to cater to their every whim.  
  
Meanwhile Remus and Mia sat down at a small table for two.  
  
Remus smiled fondly at Mia. "I really don't know what I'd do without you to take care of me."  
  
"I try." Mia smiled at him only half-heartedly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know that you're lying to me, Remus," she said simply.  
  
"What do you mean?" Mia knew she had struck a nerve. His pale face had gone even whiter and his hands twitched nervously under the table.  
  
Mia sighed. "I know there's something more than your family members getting sick, but I haven't known you long enough to figure out what it is. Wouldn't it be much easier just to tell me?" Waiting for a response, she found none, so she persisted. "Don't you trust me?"  
  
Remus looked hurt. "Of course I trust you. I'm just afraid that if you tell me you'll hate me..."  
  
"James and Sirius know. Hell, I'm fairly sure Lily knows too. Why can't you just trust me to do the right thing? They didn't hate you fore it."  
  
"Look," Remus started, obviously struggling, "I really like you. I don't fancy you, but in the time that we've gotten close I've rally felt a connection." Mia nodded, looking intently at him. "But when I told James and Sirius our bond was much deeper. We're still rather new friends and I don't know if... if it's enough."  
  
Mia looked close to tears. "You're like my brother. I don't think I could hate you for any long period of time."  
  
Remus sighed, but looked happier at that sentiment. He took Mia's hand and pulled her closer. "I- I'm a werewolf."  
  
Mia pulled back and looked stunned. "Oh." It was all she could manage.  
  
Remus leaned back as well looking for all the world as if he would like to bolt off right there. "I know I'm freak, but I hope you can still like me."  
  
Mia tried to speak, but her voice seemed to be stuck in the back of her throat from the shock. For a moment the two stared at each other. Suddenly Mia began to laugh.  
  
"What?"  
  
Mia tried to stop laughing enough to explain herself. "My uncles a werewolf!"  
  
Remus began to laugh nervously as well. "Heh, well I guess I needn't have worried."  
  
Mia stopped laughing suddenly and looked at Remus steadily. "Never doubt that I will always be there for you. I would never be that superficial. You can tell me anything."  
  
Remus smiled slightly. "Thanks."  
  
"Hey," said Mia, her brain clicking into place, "it's the full moon tonight, isn't it?"  
  
Remus paled, but nodded.  
  
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry I dragged you down here when you're so-"  
  
Before she could finish that sentimental feeling, the portrait hole burst open to reveal James, Sirius, and Lily.  
  
Sirius was the first to spot the. "Remus! Are you stealing my girl away from me?"  
  
Remus laughed, removing his hand from hers. "Of course not. I just told her about... you know. And it's fine," he added to Mia.  
  
"Oh good." Sirius did indeed look relieved. "I hated keeping that from you."  
  
"Woo," said Mia, not failing to notice James and Lily's entwined hands. "So you two finally got together?"  
  
"Finally," echoed Lily.  
  
--- 


	10. Quidditch

A/N: Severely disappointed by the measly two reviews that I got for the last chapter (though I love my two very faithful reviewers teknocat and evil). But I will take the time to thank all of my reviewers so far in this chapter, since I've been slacking on that for a while. (It will thank everybody for chapters 8 and 9.) Yeah, but seriously, I'm feeling down about this story and have actually considered putting this on hiatus because I don't have enough interest for it. So until I get 10 more reviews this story is officially on hold (a.k.a. 36 reviews)!  
  
Anyway, my reviewers:  
  
Teknocat: Thank you for giving me mondo cuteness factor awards! (for chapters 8 & 9)  
  
BlackWiltedRose: I know... I sure wish I had a guy like Sirius! Mia's just too darn lucky!  
  
Doodleflip: Sirius is really sweet. There's just something about his personality that makes him automatically likeable.  
  
EVILMWHAA HA HA HA HAA: Thanks for the new review! You are by far my most faithful reviewer and I thank you so much for that! Anyway, sorry this story may go on hold, but I hope to keep it going! For you! :blows kisses:  
  
And that's it you pathetic bunch of losers! Just kidding, but seriously, I'm review deprived and I really feel no urge to write without reviews. Just warning you!  
  
But yea, this chapter was fun because I got my first try at writing a Quidditch match. I'd really like your opinion on how I could have made it better or more interesting.  
  
---  
  
Chapter 10- February (or, "The Quidditch Tourney")  
  
The day that the whole school had been counting down to had arrived. It was the traditional first Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match. It had come late this year due to the tragic weather conditions in December and January, but had managed to come nonetheless.  
  
"Alright guys. I know that it's cold and that it's going to be a hard game, but I know we've trained well for this and we're prepared."  
  
"You don't say," muttered Sirius sarcastically as he hugged himself and shivered with the cold.  
  
"Shut up Black," said Brenda, the Seeker, one of two girls on the team, and possibly the most sane, "you're just bitter about the six in the morning practices that James made you come to."  
  
"Damn right I am." The rest of the team, minus James and Brenda, nodded sympathetically. James was a slave driver. A brilliant coach and trainer, but too tough and fanatical in their opinion.  
  
James ignored them. "I don't need to tell you that this game is very important, just make sure that you..." James, Gryffindor team captain and all around cocky and self assured guy, trailed off as he caught sight of a beaming Lily waving at him from the stands. He tentatively waved back desperately trying to ignore the suppressed giggles coming from behind him . "Erm, anyway," he said, regaining some of his composure, but still blushing, "their team is strong, but we've got the great skill of our three Chasers-" He beamed at Sirius and Miller Morgan, a slight blonde boy with a look of great apprehension on his face "our wonderful Seeker Brenda, our two hearty Beaters and our wonderful keeper!"  
  
"We'll win this James, no sweat," assured Harvey Johnston, the biggest one of the group and their strongest Beater. His co-Beater, Gordon Hanson, nodded fervently by his side as he swung his bat menacingly.  
  
"Right then. Let's go. Oh, and good luck." James turned around and marched onto the field, reveling in the shouts of approval from three quarters of the school. He grinned and threw a thumbs up toward the section where Lily, Mia, and Remus (who defined himself as "someone too smart to get himself involved in something that stupid and deadly and risk getting his brains bashed out by a big chunk of metal or a Slytherin". He was always rather long winded) were sitting.  
  
"Welcome to the Hogwart's Quidditch Field. Please quiet down enough so I can introduce the payers." Tom Felton, a Gryffindor and the self-appointed announcer, smiled genially as he waited for the crowd to quiet down. When he finally found the decibel level low enough he began to shout, "And here's our very own Gryffindor team! Put your hands together for James Potter, the handsome and brilliant Chaser and captain of the team!" After this he was drowned out by screams (mostly female). James rolled his eyes but smiled and waved nonetheless. "Then we have our other two Chasers, Sirius Black" (loud screaming that surpassed even James' applause) "and Miller Morgan (a decent amount of noise. He was fairly popular after all). Then we have our two superb Beaters, Harvey Johnston and Gordon Hanson (louder shouts). We also have our Keeper Evelyn Perry and our Seeker Brenda Whisp (this was followed by loud wolf whistles)!"  
  
The applause was nearly deafening as the crowd roared with unrestrained excitement. Even Lily, normally quiet and reserved, was screaming her head off. Everyone could tell that this would be a good game.  
  
"And," Tome added sullenly, "there's the Slytherin team. Nasty gits."  
  
A loud chorus of boos were heard that quickly drowned out any cheers from the pitiful Slytherin section along with a yelp of pain as Tom was elbowed in the stomach by Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Introduce them," she hissed, trying to use her best "now let's be fair" look that was not very convincing in Tom's opinion.  
  
"Fine, fine. That's the Slytherin team. There's the team captain, Lucius Malfoy. He's a Seeker, or something. And... the rest of them. Satisfied?"  
  
A slight smile twitched on the professor's face and she nodded curtly. She pointedly ignored the outraged shouts from the student portion of the Slytherin section and the loud screaming of Professor Vestal, the Potions mistress.  
  
Meanwhile, down on the field the young Madame Hooch forced the two captains to shake hands and then alternately not break the other's finger's off. She was also ignoring the leering gaze of Marcus Thompson, the Slytherin Keeper, that was currently roaming over her shapely body.  
  
Would the boy never learn? She was nearly thirty... Well, twenty six, but that was much too old for that young pervert.  
  
Snorting in contempt, she began her usual lecture. "Now I want a nice clean game... From all of you." She threw the last comment towards Lucius Malfoy and his team who tried their best to look innocent and failed miserably. "Mount your brooms," she said, ignoring the sniggering of Marcus.  
  
James threw one last smile toward the Gryffindor crowd before totally immersing himself in the game. Sirius looked more focused than normal as he stared intently at the box near Madame Hooch that contained the balls.  
  
Suddenly the whistle was blown and fourteen students plus Madame Hooch soared into the air and into their respective places. The balls quickly hurtled after them.  
  
"And the Quaffle is quickly taken into possession by James Potter!"  
  
James grinned as he heard the cheers of the crowd and felt the rush of the wind pour over his body, flushed and hot with anticipation for the game. Suddenly his happiness was erased when he saw the glaring face of Adrian Flint, a seventh year girl, if you could call her that.  
  
"And a quick pass to Black in the face of that horrendous monstrosity-" He cut short when he saw the look on McGonagall's face. "Sorry. And here we go- and Black is off with the Quaffle, speeding towards the Slytherin end- Ooh, Owch- he's grazed by a Bludger on his face, but he appears to be okay as he shoots a neat pass to Morgan- Morgan to Potter, back to Morgan, but oh-intercepted by Slytherin- Brandon takes the Quaffle, racing towards the Gryffindor goal- it looks like he's going to sc- no, stopped by Perry, who, along with being a superb Keeper is also very beautiful and I was just wondering if she'd like to go out with me?"  
  
"TOM!"  
  
"Sorry Professor." But Tom didn't look at all sorry as Evelyn smiled shyly at him and gave him the thumbs up. "Anyway," he continued with a huge grin plastered on his face, "Potter again has the possession- oh, nice dive around Flint as he maneuvers around her- passed to Black and then to Morgan- Potter, coming close- dodges around Thompson- GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"  
  
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw cheers filled the stadium as the Slytherins sat shivering and sullen.  
  
"Slytherin possession- Flint to Drundle and oh- that'll leave a mark- Flint, you really must remember to dodge those Bludgers- and the Quaffle's back in Gryffindor possession- Black takes it (a collective swoon from the female population of the student body) and races towards the goal- he's going to- oh no, it's been stolen by Drake who nearly shoved Black off of his broom- dirty b-"  
  
"TOM!"  
  
"Sorry again. Well, Slytherin possession- Drake to Flint and back to Drake- they nearly- hey, is that the Snitch?"  
  
An excited murmur rose from the crowd as everyone peered intently around the field.  
  
"Where is it?" Lily heard a first year cry shrilly. She giggled and waved at James when he looked over at the noise.  
  
"James nearly fell off his broom," Remus commented vaguely. He had long ago stopped paying attention to the game. Every since Amber had sat beside him.  
  
"That's because he loves Lily," Mia giggled. She laughed even harder when she saw Lily's face turn bright red.  
  
"Shut up and watch the game," said a sixth year Ravenclaw snidely from across the aisle.  
  
Mia threw her an evil look, but turned back to the game at hand.  
  
Suddenly, Brenda began streaking towards the opposite side of the field. Everyone immediately forgot what they were supposed to be doing and stared intently at Brenda's progress. Lucius Malfoy could only watch as she snatched the Snitch from midair and held her hand high.  
  
"ANG GRYFFINDOR'S WON!"  
  
The entire Gryffindor team shot towards Brenda and nearly killed her as they slammed forcefully into one another.  
  
"Owch," she said, her voice being muffled from her face being pressed into James' robes.  
  
"Walk it off," Sirius said cheerfully as he planted a kiss on her head, "we've won!"  
  
"And Gryffindor wins one hundred and sixty to ten! What an amazing match!" Tom crowed joyfully over the screams and shouts of happiness. "This means that Gryffindor is one step closer to winning the Cup this year, something that has not been done since Rodney Herndon's famous '69 match!"  
  
Finally the team was able to land in a large mass, pulling it off with no injuries, albeit a little jumbled. Finally they had disentangled themselves and were greeted with an onslaught of well wishers.  
  
Sirius, topping over six four, was able to see clearly over the crowd and thus managed to meet Mia somewhere in the middle of the crowd.  
  
"We won!" Mia giggled at Sirius' enthusiastic words as she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"You were great, though there wasn't much time for you to score. Brenda is really good."  
  
"Thanks." He gave her another kiss, but quickly drew back and wiped something dark from her face.  
  
"Sirius! You're hurt!" She grabbed his face and turned it so she could inspect the gash in the fading light. "Well, it looks worse than it is. Here-" she cast a quick healing charm. "There! All better!"  
  
"You're the best," he said as he hoisted her up. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and he began taking her back to the castle.  
  
"You're not too shabby yourself," she acknowledged.  
  
Sirius nodded, a goofy grin still plastered on his face. "Shall we head back to the Common Room? I hear there's going to be a great after party!"  
  
"Well how would you know that? It's not like you were planning it or anything," Mia said sarcastically. She couldn't remember how many hours (or so it had seemed) she had spent listening to James and Sirius plan their victory party. "But how do you know you're going to win?" She would always tease them. They always gave her their frighteningly identical smiles and said, "We will."  
  
"Shut up," Sirius said good naturedly as he wrapped his arm around her waist.  
  
"Isn't this romantic? You're so gross and sweaty!" Mia stuck her tongue out at him and before he could reply, Remus had burst in between them. Before they knew what had happened they found their arms draped around Remus.  
  
"Great game today! Good job!" Remus flashed a brilliant smile at the bemused couple trying to hide their laughter. "What?"  
  
"I've never seen you this happy before, that's all. What's up?"  
  
"Well Mia, it just so happens that Amber is going to be my date for the party tonight!"  
  
Mia grinned. "That's great!"  
  
"I know. I still can't believe it," Remus said in wonder.  
  
Mia laughed and poked Remus in the side with her free arm. "You've really got to be more confident because I know for a fact that a lot of girls in this school fancy you." Seeing the shocked look on his face, she continued, "why if I wasn't stuck with this lug here-" she gestured towards Sirius who made a face "I'd date you myself!"  
  
Remus blushed, but looked extremely gratified.  
  
They continued to chat about the game until they reached the Common Room and the ensuing chaos.  
  
---  
  
The next morning Sirius stumbled down into the Great Hall for breakfast looking for all the world as if he had been hit with numerous Bludgers. He took the seat next to Mia, the only other seventh year Gryffindor besides himself and Lily awake. He had piled a great mound of fried food on his plate before he realized that Mia was undoubtedly not paying attention to him.  
  
"Hi Mia."  
  
"Hey." He could tell her mind was still not focused on him.  
  
"Mia? Are you okay?" Sirius looked concerned as he sat down next to her for breakfast the morning after the game.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said distractedly, still staring.  
  
He followed her gaze and found she was watching Lily. "What's with her?"  
  
Mia shrugged and continued her staring.  
  
Lily was sitting at the far end of the table reading a paper away from the main crowd of the table. Her features were drawn and hard and her face was pale as she focused intently on the paper in front of her. She almost looked like she could cry.  
  
Sirius shook his head. Lily doesn't cry.  
  
"I'm going to go find out what's wrong," he said, pulling Mia out of her reverie.  
  
"Ok. Be careful."  
  
He was puzzled by that comment, but smiled and walked over to Lily who paid him no mind. Even as he sat down next to her she did not look up from the paper.  
  
"Hey Lily," he said brightly, "what's going on?"  
  
Her head snapped up and she met his gaze. Sirius was surprised to see her eyes blazing and a snarl across her normally smiling lips. "Nothing. Now leave me alone."  
  
Sirius stared at her in shock as she got up and stalked out of the Great Hall. Once she had left he grabbed the paper, eager to see what had gotten her so upset.  
  
A Shocking Muggle Attack  
Hathaniel Nawthorne  
  
The so-called "Death Eaters" that have been plaguing  
the wizarding community for years have finally placed action with their  
words.  
  
Early this morning (the approximation was about three a.m.) four Muggle  
homes  
in Haddock were attacked. The situation was passed off as an accidental  
fire that started in one house and spread to the other three to the Muggles, but this  
was obviously the work of magic. The Aurors that have been on the scene since shortly after the attack are mystified about how the attackers got into the  
town unnoticed. They said that it had been a target for suspicious activity and  
had been watched carefully by the Ministry. Several suggest that they had contacts within  
the town, but  
this gigantic slip is a blow to the Ministry's reputation.  
  
"This is just horrible," Amides Finch, head of the Department of Muggle  
Affairs,  
commented as we caught him surveying the scene with a look of horror and  
regret on his face. "Just know that we will catch whoever did this and  
they will be brought to justice."  
  
The names of those killed were not disclosed, but it was said by a  
Ministry official that some had relations to the wizarding word and had  
been considered a  
threat to the "pureblood mentality" of the Death Eaters that attacked.  
  
Sirius reread the article hoping for some mistake. "James?"  
  
James, who had entered during the time Sirius had been reading the article, looked up with scrambled eggs hanging would of his mouth. "'Uh?"  
  
"Where does Lily live?" Sirius tried to contain his worry, but he could not hide the tremor of apprehension in his voice.  
  
"Here stupid."  
  
"Shut up Prongs. This is serious. Where do her parents live?"  
  
"Haddock."  
  
"Oh my God." Sirius' sharp intake of breath was enough to alert his friends that something was wrong.  
  
"What?" Mia's face was clouded with concern. "I knew there was something wrong with Lily this morning. She looked really depressed."  
  
"Lily! What happened? I'm confused," whined James.  
  
"Read this," Sirius ordered.  
  
Mia, Remus, and James crowded around the paper and read the proffered article. All looked up at Sirius in shock as they finished reading the article.  
  
"You don't think...?" Remus left the question unasked as if it would be truth if it was spoken.  
  
"I don't know, but it sure seems like it. And Lily thinks it too."  
  
All four friends stared at the door, marking the spot where their distressed friend had last been seen.  
  
---  
  
A/N: Yay! The end! Oh, and I would like to know if anyone would be interested in becoming a charactre. I've got a great idea for a new charactre, and hey, why not make it a reader. Anyway, there will be something about that in the next chapter! 


	11. Division

A/N: Okay, I'm back! Aren't you all happy to see me? After long pondering of where this story is going to go, I think I've gotten another burst of inspiration. I just want to thank all of you who are hanging in there (if there are any) and I hope this chapter makes up for my long absence! Anyway, this is where things start to get ugly, and it moves off of guy/girl relationships and instead focuses on the Marauders as a whole. All I'll say is, girls are never good for a group of male friends.

To my reviewers:

**siruisissokewl**- wow, thanks so much for the glowing review!

**almo**- sorry about the wrist, but thank you for taking the time to give me such a nice review. Glad the characters are in character

**kwndnl- **I really like your idea on the Quiddich game. I think that I'll leave that one the way it is for now, and maybe go back and revise it, or just add another Quiddich game. But thanks a ton!

**Xiaolu**- thanks so much! I appreciate your support.

**anoynomous**- sorry it took so long, but it's here!

**Doodleflip**- Good. I'm glad you enjoyed the Quiddich match. Sorry I couldn't add you as a character, but I will definitely consider you if I ever need one.

**EVILMWAA HA HA HA HAA**- Thanks for yet another wonderful review! (see if you can find yourself in this chapter—shouldn't be too hard!)

**baloo**- aw, thanks!

---

Chapter 11- **Division**

Lily's faithful friends had been forced to classes after the worrying breakfast without a chance to console their friend. To their great consternation, she was in none of her classes.

As the four grouped around a Venezuelan Fly Trap in Herbology, they finally found a chance to talk.

"Do you think it really was her parents? I mean, the names were unreleased, and I know some other people who live in Haddock." James found that his four friends were just as confused and worried as he.

"I don't know. It all seems too coincidental to be a coincidence," said Remus as he pulled his finger out of the reaches of the hungry plant. "What I do know is Lily never misses classes."

Mia nodded. "And it looks like one of the faithful Ravenclaws are missing too. They miss about as much as Lily."

With a quick scan of the only other four students in the Advanced Herbology, James paled. "It's Sebrina."

"Damn it," Sirius swore with an apologetic look thrown rather belatedly toward Mia. "She's been after you since you broke up with her."

"Do you think she's doing something to Lily?"

Remus assuaged James with a roll of his eyes and a wry, "This sabotage seems a little open for a smart Ravenclaw like her. She'll definitely wait until it can't be traced back to her."

James looked slightly mollified, but everyone else just seemed to become more tense.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bell for lunch rang and the group dashed to the Gryffindor Tower, sweaty and dirty from the class they had just abandoned. As soon as they entered the common room, Mia led Sirius, James, and Remus up the stairs (the only way they could get up without immediately being shoved down again) and knocked softly on her door.

"Lily?" They could hear sniffles clearly from behind the locked doors, but another sound came through as well. "Lily?" she repeated. "Is Alice with you?"

She glanced back at the anxious boys behind her ad shrugged. Why Lily would chose Alice over her?

Cautiously opening the door, she stepped inside and was surprised to find a dark haired Ravenclaw girl rather than the bubbly blondeness of Alice.

"Sebrina? What are you doing here?" From the confused mutterings coming from behind her, the boys also had no idea why Sebrina was here.

"I knew she had something to do with it," Sirius whispered violently. The others quickly shushed him so they could hear Sebrina's explanation.

"I saw Lily leave the dining hall and none of her other friends went to see what was wrong, so I decided to do something." She stroked Lily's heaving back softly as she stared intently at the four in front of her. Her voice was cold and calculated, obviously a slap in the face.

"We're her best friends! We knew something was wrong, but Lily always wants time alone to sort out her thoughts!" Mia was shocked to find herself defending her friendship against this Ravenclaw whore. She realised, with a growing knot in her stomach, that Lily was saying nothing in her defense.

"She seemed to like my company," purred Sebrina as if Lily wasn't there.

"Liar," James spat suddenly, his face turning red with anger and embarrassment. He hated remembering what a mistake this girl had been.

"Oh. Hello, James," Sebrina said slowly, smiling softly as she stared at James, seemingly noticing him for the first time. Her gaze made James uncomfortable, a feeling he did not know or like. The constant stare was burning through hiim and he could feel his face getting even redder.

Mia took action. "Out. This is my room as well, and I want you gone."

Sebrina shrugged, but stood up and left the room, always keeping her eyes locked on James. As soon as she left, the tension dissipated from the room. All four of the friends moved to the side of Lily's bed, where she was currently spread out tearfully.

"What did you do that for?" she asked quietly, her face still muffled by the pillows she was buried in.

"What?" Mia exchanged a glance with Remus. There was definitely something odd about this whole situation. Since when had Sebrina and Lily become so chummy?

"She was the one who came to see me. None of you did."

"B-but Lily!" Mia was shocked at the accusation. Lily had never been one to share her feelings immediately. "You always insist on being alone. You never wanted any company before. And since it was something this serious, I just assumed you'd want to sort out your thoughts before we talked."

"Maybe you assumed wrong," spat Lily, sitting up and revealing her tear blotched face for the first time. She seemed so pitiful, but no one, not even James wanted to get near enough to comfort her. "At least Sebrina can tell when I want company. She's a better friend then you are."

Mia gasped. As mad as Lily was, and as traumatized as she was, there was no need for such cruelty. "Fine," she snapped and with a quick spin around, she left the room.

"That was really uncalled for Lily. She's been there for you when you really needed her. You've let her down a lot more than you've helped her." Sirius leaned against a bed post as he spoke. "That was really rough."

"That's so untrue! You're just sticking up for her because she's got you wrapped around her little finger." Lily's face grew redder and redder as all of her withheld frustrations let loose. "Like all the times she tried to get James when she _knew_ I liked him."

"She set you two up," Remus commented quietly as he tried to shrink away from the grim scene. No need to try though; no one noticed what he said.

"You've got this completely wrong! Sebrina was the one checking out James the whole time today. She obviously wanted to get back together with him." Sirius couldn't believe the absurdity of this conversation. Where was the old Lily?

James' face burned red. He really didn't want to be reminded of the horrible relationship that had occurred between himself and Sebrina. It had been during sixth year and she had been so controlling he just had to break it off.

"No, your girlfriend is a whore. You honestly think she's as chaste as she says she is? I am her roommate. I know what goes on after it's dark."

"DON'T EVER INSINUATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN! I LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS THE NEXT PERSON, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS." Sirius stormed out of the room, with an apologetic Remus trailing behind him, his sad eyes obviously reflecting the same sentiments.

James looked after them, but remained in the room, having no way of knowing what strife and pain this would cause their group.

By the next morning it was heard all over school:

_The end of the Marauders. The end of the dynasty._

---

A/N: Wow, very exciting and unexpected. A bit shorter than I would have liked, but this is pretty much just the intro for a whole new line. It's still romance, but it switches around a bit… Well, you'll just have to see. And it still remains to be seen if Lily's parents were the ones who were killed. Is this just one big misunderstanding, with Sebrina at the middle, breaking up the Marauders and the most brilliant team of Hogwarts' history?

Hmm, I guess you'll just have to find out next time, won't you?


End file.
